Just Friends?
by KarinaCullen
Summary: All Human. Edward and Bella have been best friends for as long as they can remember. As they grow up they soon have different feelings toward each other. Will love blossom between them? Full summary inside. Rated T for future reference.
1. Chapter 1

**Just friends?**

**Full Summary:** Bella and Edward have been the best of friends for as long as they can remember. Even though Bella lives in Phoenix and Edward lives in Chicago, their friendship is still strong. As they grow older they soon realize their true feelings toward each other. Friendship, romance and jealousy is what this story holds. Will love blossom between the two?

**Author's Note:** Emmett is two years older than Bella and Edward and Alice is one year younger than Bella and Edward. The ages presented in this chapter are six years-old and ten-years old. And the perspectives begin with third person but then become Bella's point of view.

* * *

Chapter 1: Beaches and Pranks

**Summer – six years old (3rd Person)**

The sun was blazing over the California beaches. The day school started was nearing and summer was coming to a close. Edward and Bella were sitting on the soft sand that surrounded the beach and laughing like they would everyday when they saw each other. They were best friends and kept their friendship strong even though they lived in different areas.

"I'm really going to miss you, Bells." Edward said. He sighed and then turned his gaze over to Bella.

Bella was staring out into the water, watching the sun set. It was pretty and had orange, pink, yellow and purple in the sky. She always loved the sunset.

"I'm going to miss you too, Eddie. But we'll see each other again at Christmas. You'll be coming to celebrate at Phoenix with me and my family."

"I know." Bella turned her head to see Edward frown. She never liked it when he was sad and vice versa. "But Christmas is in December! That's so far away."

"Oh, right." Bella said in realization. She never really thought of the timeline without seeing Edward would be. But of course, Edward always thought things through. "You'll call me every other day right?" she questioned.

"Of course I will, Bells. I always call you. You'll call me too though, right?"

"Duh! When you're too busy being a dummy and forget to call me I always call you." Bella teased. Edward glared at her but Bella just giggled. "Oh, Eddie. You know I'm only joking. We all know you're not a dummy . . . just easily forgetful." Bella started to burst into laughter and Edward just glared at her.

"You are so going to regret you said that, Bells." He threatened. Bella just kept on laughing when Edward tackled her. He started to tickle her knowing that she was very ticklish. Bella's laughs got louder and she tried to fight it.

"Arg, Eddie! Stop!" Edward kept on tickling her. "Okay, fine! I'm sorry." Bella pleaded. Edward then stopped with a smirk on his face.

It was silent between them for a few moments. The only things they could hear were the waves crashing and the slight summer breeze. Edward and Bella laced their fingers so they were holding hands. It came naturally to them, just holding hands like that. They both stared at the sunset and wished that summer never came to an end. But they both knew that every vacation they had together had to come to an end.

Just then Bella noticed Edward take something out of his pocket. She looked at him with questioning eyes. When he opened his hand there was a necklace with a beautiful emerald green jewel hanging from the chain. Bella thought the jewel looked like Edward's eyes. Both were a rich, emerald color.

"What's this, Eddie?" Bella asked.

"When we were walking down the beach I saw something shine by the rocks over there." He pointed to the pile of rocks that were being splashed by the waves. "When you decided to lay down on the sand I went over to see what it was. I picked it up and saw this. I asked my mom if I could make it a necklace. I just got the chain today. I made it for you."

Edward gestured it towards her. Bella took it and felt a smile form on her lips. Now she would have a reminder of Edward when they were not together. Bella hugged Edward tightly and he hugged her back. When they let go of each other, Bella put the necklace on and let it hang nicely around her neck. The gold chain felt cold against her skin but she didn't mind.

The sound of footsteps was coming from behind them. Both Edward and Bella turned their heads, with their hands interlaced. Emmett and Alice were standing before their eyes. Emmett was eight years old and the big brother of Bella. He made jokes all the time even during serious moments. Beside him, was a five year-old Alice who was Edward's little sister. Like always, she was smiling and very jumpy.

"Bella." Emmett started. "Come on. Mom wants to start packing and she needs our help."

"Awe really? Can't I stay here for fifteen more minutes?" Bella whined.

"Nope." Emmett said sternly.

"Okay." Bella sighed. "Let's go."

Bella began to stand up and so did Edward. They hugged one more time before they let go.

"See you at Christmas, Bells." Edward said.

"See you, Eddie." Bella replied.

At that Bella and Emmett began to walk towards their summerhouse. Bella heard Alice making fun of Edward and the two of them fighting playfully. Bella smiled at that and the farther away they got from the beach, the less she could hear their mock bickering.

Emmett kept on talking about all of the new pranks he came up with and was excited to try them out. He gave Bella a warning that she was going to be his main target and she glowered at him.

She was sad to be leaving California, but even more sad to be leaving Edward. She sighed and just reminded herself that she would be seeing him again during Christmas Holidays. Which was in December.

* * *

**Christmas – six years old (3rd Person)**

"Merry Christmas, Bells!" proclaimed Edward. He brought Bella into an embrace and she giggled.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Eddie." She laughed for a bit. "Oh, oh, oh! I almost forgot. I got you a present!" Bella held out a box that was wrapped in a red, green and gold printed wrapping paper. "I thought that since you gave me this necklace," she pointed at the chain hanging on her neck. "I should give you something too!" She smiled, revealing a space where her front tooth used to be before it fell out.

Edward eyed the box for a while. Bella gestured for him to open it and he did. When he finished opening it, he saw a square picture frame that had gorgeous red, blue, yellow and pearl-white jewels on it. There was already a picture in place and it made Edward giggle.

"Hey! This was when we made that sand castle. We were so happy when we finished it. Then we got mad because Emmett stepped on it by 'accident'" Edward said.

Bella giggled. "Well, it was nice while it lasted. Do you like your present?"

"I love it! Thanks, Bells."

Edward pulled Bella into another hug and they stayed that way for a while. The Swans and Cullens were loud and having fun. But Edward and Bella just stood there hugging each other, letting everyone else pass by without question.

"They're so cute together." Said Esme, talking about Edward and Bella.

"I know. Just imagine when they grow older." Renee had proclaimed. Both of them sighed thinking of their children, as they grow older together. They then laughed and clinked their wine glasses together as a toast. Though there was no real toast, just a habit old friends did.

"I can't wait until they fall for each other. They'll be adorable. Don't you think Esme?" questioned Renee.

"Without a doubt." Esme and Renee giggled again. They then heard Edward and Bella talking and both of them eavesdropped.

"Oh, Eddie. I can't believe you left your teddy at home!" Bella teased.

"I can't believe I forgot him either." Said Edward, with depression coloring his tone. Bella began to laugh and Edward scowled.

"I told you that you were forgetful!"

"Am not!" Edward said, defending himself. He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Are too!" Bella replied, still laughing.

Their "argument" went on. The only thing they kept on saying was "am not!" and "are too!" Neither of them backed off until the other had admitted it. Which of course, never happened.

"They'll be so cute!" Esme said again after listening to their conversation.

"Definitely." Agreed Renee.

* * *

**Summer – ten years old (Bella's POV)**

It was the last day of school and the day before I got to see Edward again on vacation. The Cullen's and my Family – yes even including Emmett – always took vacations and celebrated Christmas together. I was grateful for that

I was talking to Edward on the phone because he forgot to call me due to the cause of being hungry. Though I'm not too surprised he forgot. I had to call him and remind him just how easily things slip his mind. We also talked about our upcoming trip.

"I'm so excited to be going to New York! Aren't you, Eddie?" I said to Edward on the phone.

"I'm excited too! I'm really excited to see the Statue of Liberty." Edward kept on rambling about all of the historical places he wanted to go to. I thought the list would never stop but he eventually came to a close.

"Gosh, Edward you can be such a nerd sometimes, you know that?"

"Ha ha very funny." Edward said. I was laughing even though he was being sarcastic. But he finally laughed with me. "Oh, Alice wants to talk to you now. So I'll see you at the hotel tomorrow. Bye, Bells!"

"Bye." The sound of Edward giving Alice the phone was audible enough for me to hear from the other line. Most likely because Edward was trying to keep the phone away from Alice by holding it up high because she was so small.

Eventually Alice got it. "Hey, Bella!" Alice said, though she sounded like she was out of breath. I giggled at that.

We started talking about how we were both doing and what we most were excited to see in NYC. Alice talked so much but I didn't really mind. Besides Edward being my best friend, Alice was my other good friend. Finally we ended our – very long – conversation and I went back to packing.

It would have been a lot faster to finish if I only knew where my diary was. I had already had written in it for the day, but I needed it for our trip. I searched through my whole room and couldn't find it. I then went to scavenge the rest of my house. I searched every single inch of the house and my backpack. I had asked my parents if they seen it and they told me they didn't see a glimpse of it. That's when I realized something. Emmett. Emmett took my diary.

I ran up the stairs and walked down the hallway and stopped at the room that was right across from mine. I knocked on the door angrily. When no one answered it I barged in to find Emmett reading her entries out loud

" . . . Oh my gosh he is so cute! I can't believe Jacob Black hugged me today after school. I felt like I would have melted in his arms. I don't know if he likes me back but I hope he does because –"

I cut him off then. He was even acting out my diary in front of his friends and they were all laughing at Emmett's horrible acting. "Emmett! Give me back my diary!" I yelled. Emmett began to run around his room and I chased him.

Emmett then began to read my last entry, loudly. "I can't wait to see Edward and Alice tomorrow! Edward and I are going to have tons of fun and Alice will no doubt be her joyful self . . ." He kept on reading until I got the chance to tackle him and retrieve my diary.

"Ugh, Emmett! Sometimes I wonder if me and you are even related at all." I said as I stormed out of his room. Emmett didn't reply but instead I heard him and his friends snickering and reenacting some parts of my diary entries.

I slammed her door behind her and began to finish packing. I made a mental note to myself about hiding my diary better so Emmett, being so idiotic wouldn't be able to find it.

As soon as I zipped up my suitcase and Emmett's friends had left I went to take a shower. I really didn't like having to share a bathroom with Emmett. He constantly switches my shampoo with some other substance and with that I learned to check what was inside the bottle every single time. Also, he sometimes forgets to put the toilet seat down.

I went to the shower and took the shampoo bottle out. I opened the container to make sure nothing was in there. I saw and smelled her strawberry smelling shampoo and put the container back and turned on the showerhead. After having a shower and brushing my teeth I went to my room and stopped at the front of the door. I then turned around.

"Good night, mom! Goodnight, dad!" I yelled down the hall.

"Goodnight, Bella." My parents chorused at the same time.

I sighed and then yelled again. "Goodnight, moron!" I said towards Emmett's bedroom. To my surprise Emmett actually responded.

"Goodnight, Bell –" Emmett had paused and then came into realization. "Hey! Who are you calling moron?"

I just laughed and went inside my room and shut the door quietly behind me. I walked over to my bed and pulled the covers over my body. I was so excited for our trip. I kept on thinking about how we would all have so much and what we would do until I fell asleep.

The plane ride to New York seemed longer than it actually was. Five and half-hours were already long enough but having to sit beside Emmett the whole time was aggravating. I loved Emmett, but with of all of his jokes and pranks, I sometimes wondered if he was really twelve years old. When the plane landed I was – very – overjoyed when we finally got off and went to claim our luggage.

Finding the luggage wasn't that bad. We each had one luggage each and they were huge so it wasn't really that hard to miss. We waited for an available taxi outside. It was humid out and I wasn't that aware of it, the weather in Phoenix was similar. Eventually there was a taxi that was ready for us and soon enough we were on our way to The Roosevelt Hotel.

When we had arrived at the hotel and checked into their rooms, I noticed how big the hotel was. It was massive. Our room was big suite that had a room with a king-size bed another room with two queen-sized beds. My parents would take the king-size and Emmett and I would thankfully be taking the two other beds.

Everyone began putting their things in the cabinets and closets that the room provided. Well, everyone except for Emmett. He was writing in his 'book of pranks' – his words not mine – no doubt figuring out a new joke to try out. Most likely he was going to experiment on me first. I sighed. I then heard someone knocking on the door.

"I'll get it!" I yelled. I ran over to the door, tripping during the process. I got back up on my feet and heard Emmett laughing at me. When I got to the door and opened it I felt a smile form on my lips. "Eddie!" I screamed. I hugged him and he hugged me back.

"Hey, Bells. I missed ya!" He let go of me and then put his hands on my shoulders. "I heard a thump before you answered the door. Let me guess." He pretended to think when he cupped his chin with his fingers. "You tripped, right?" I blushed and nodded. He laughed.

Then came Alice prancing to Edward's side and bumped him out of the way with her hip. "Hey, Bella!" She jumped on me and gave me a big hug.

"Hi, Alice." We let go and started laughing when we saw that Alice's bump made Edward fall. "Oh! Do you guys want to come in?" I gestured.

"Sure!" They both said in unison.

After they both walked in I closed the door swiftly and brought them to mine and Emmett's room. When we got there I saw that Emmett was sitting up and had a devilish look on his face. We all knew what that meant.

"Oh no . . ." Me, Alice and Edward groaned in unison.

"Oh yes!" Emmett pronounced.

"Emmett! Do we have to do it this time? Can't you do this alone?" Alice complained.

"Uh, no. This is a four man job." I was going to say that me and Alice were girls but he then corrected himself. "This is a four people job. Now do you want to know what we're going to do?"

"Do we really have a choice?" I asked.

"No. Not really." Emmett then picked up his piece of paper and walked toward us. I heard Edward sigh and when I turned my head I saw Alice pout. "Okay. We're going to be letting out mice in the hotel's restaurant kitchen."

"Is that it? No stink bombs? No switching substances? Nothing?" Edward asked obliviously.

"Hey! Give me a break, man. We were on a five an a half hour flight and I'm exhausted." Emmett said. He should be exhausted for not resting the whole flight here. Heck, I'm exhausted from hearing his booming laugh therefore not letting me rest either.

"And where do we get the fake mice?"

"Fake mice!" Emmett scoffed. "I'm a professional," Me and Edward laughed at that, Emmett glared. "Like I said, I'm a professional. That's why I brought these!" Emmett ran to reach something from under his bed. He pulled out a cage with four mice inside it. Alice screeched and I ran behind Edward.

"Emmett! How on earth did you get those? You know what, I don't even want to know." I retorted.

"Alright then, let's get to it!" Emmett proclaimed, followed by Edward, Alice and mine groaning. We followed him out the room down to the kitchen.

On the way down, Emmett told us what was going to happen and gave each of us a job. Alice was going to ask the chef a question to distract him since she was the most innocent out of us. Me and Edward were to stop by and yell out 'mice!' when we spotted them and Emmett . . . Well, Emmett was going to release the mice. Shocker.

Getting our way through the kitchen was not easy. We had to sneak our way through the restaurant and then sneak our way into the kitchen. It was kind of hard when the mice and Emmett wouldn't shut up. It was also difficult because me and Edward had to try very hard not to talk to each other the whole time until it was our cue.

Finally we made it through our way behind the humungous fridge. Emmett went over his plan again and then set Alice to do her part. She walked up to the chef and put on her innocent face. She was very good, I even felt like just giving here a hug for no apparent reason.

"Excuse me, sir." Alice had said and then tapped the chef on the shoulder.

"Oh why hello there little one. Do you need anything?" The chef had asked.

"Well, I'm suuupppeerrr hungry and I was wondering if I could have a bite of that." She pointed at the mushroom ravioli. "Please?"

"Why of course!" The chef went to get her plate and a fork. She turned around and gave Emmett a sign to release the mice and then it was time for me and Edward to go.

We found a waiter by the door so we ran up to him. "Excuse me." Edward had said.

"May I help you?" said the waiter.

I started to talk then "We were just wondering if you could tell us where –" I pause then and put on a fake scared face. "Mouse! Mouse in your kitchen!" I pointed. Edward held my hand and ran, bringing me with him.

"Mouse!!!" Everyone in the kitchen began to scatter and panic. That meant it was time for me, Alice, Edward and Emmett to leave. We crept out of the kitchen and made our way to the elevators. Once we made it inside the elevators, Emmett began laughing very loudly. I couldn't help but laugh too and soon after Alice and Edward joined with us.

We had to compose ourselves though when we went back to Emmett and mine's room. Carlisle, Esme and my parents were all there and we didn't want them to suspect anything. We then had room service – after the mouse massacre – bring in our dinner and ate until our stomachs were too full to consume anything else. Once that was done, the parents kept on talking, Emmett went back to planning future pranks and Alice organized my clothes by what I should wear them with and which day to wear them. That left Edward and me to our usual business.

"So." I breathed. "Whatcha wanna do?"

"Hmmm. How about we draw a picture something? There's nothing else to do anyway."

I contemplated that. I wasn't the best drawer and that was for sure but there was nothing else to do.

"Okay. I'll go get the paper and you get the pencil crayons." At that I went to search for paper. I remember that Emmett had tons of paper in his journal of pranks. So I walked over to our room took his journal and ripped out two pieces of paper. Emmett protested but I just ignored him. When I got back I saw Edward sitting with the pencil crayons on the table. "Back! I had to get the paper from Emmett because he was the only one that had it."

I placed one piece of paper in front of him and another in front of me. We began to draw then. I had absolutely no clue what he was drawing but all I knew was that he was very focused on it. I began drawing Edward and I. Though it didn't really look that great, I think it was much better than how I usually drew. When I finished I looked up and saw that Edward was finished too.

"I made this for you." We both said at the same time. We laughed and gave our drawings to each other. When I looked down I giggled. He drew the same thing as me, just that his was much better. I heard him chuckle so I guessed he was laughing at the same thing I was.

"Thanks, Eddie." I said.

"No problem, Bells. And thank you too."

"Welcome."

Esme and Carlisle called Edward and Alice for them to go back to their hotel room. I said my goodbyes to them and went to my bed. It was only 9:45 but I figured that since we were going to be out the whole day tomorrow that I should get some rest. Just when I lay down on my bed I heard a repulsive sound. I searched for what was under my back and pulled out a whoopee cushion.

"AH! Emmett!" I said. I heard him snicker so I threw the whoopee cushion towards his bed and heard a thump.

"Ow!" I heard Emmett say.

Tomorrow was when our real vacation started and I was really excited. I turned over onto my side and saw whip cream on my other pillow.

"Emmett!"

"Goodnight, Bella." Emmett replied.

I just sighed and chucked the pillow with whip cream to his bed. I heard him groan and I guessed that the whip cream got all over him. I giggled and closed me eyes.

Today was the day we were going back to Phoenix and Edward was going back to Chicago. The Cullen's were leaving as well so we all went to the airport together, though their flight was much later than ours. I didn't want to leave. I had so much fun with Edward. We got back at Emmett for all the pranks he did to us, with the help of Alice of course. I was going to miss seeing Edward's face every time we saw a historical site. When we went to see The Statue of Liberty, Edward's mouth was so open I swear a group flies could have flew in and he wouldn't even notice.

"I'm sad that summer is already over. Two months in New York isn't enough." I said to Edward.

"No kiddin'" He sighed. "I especially don't want the fifth grade to start either." He shuddered and I chuckled.

"Ugh, I wasn't even thinking about that. Thanks a lot." I teased.

I smiled and I saw that he did too. He took my hand and held it in his. We just sat in the terminal and kept on talking. It was then time for us to board our plane. I said goodbye to the Cullen's and gave both Edward and Alice hugs. Then I got on the plane.

Amazingly, Emmett was very quiet throughout the whole plane ride back to Phoenix. I was able to sleep for a while. Though when I woke up I saw Emmett's face right in front of mine and it scared me silly.

When we got home the first thing I did was run up to my room. I pulled a piece of paper out my backpack and pinned it to my bulletin board. When I stepped back to see how it looked I smiled. Edward's drawing for me hung nicely on my wall.

* * *

**Okay people tell me what you think of this chapter! Review please! I love to hear your imput : )**

**_love, karina.  
_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Just friends?**

**Full Summary:** Bella and Edward have been the best of friends for as long as they can remember. Even though Bella lives in Phoenix and Edward lives in Chicago, their friendship is still strong. As they grow older they soon realize their true feelings toward each other. Friendship, romance and jealousy is what this story holds. Will love blossom between the two?

**Author's Note:** Emmett is 14, Edward and Bella are 12 and Alice is 11. The POV's go from Bella, to Esme, to third person and then back to Bella.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Best of Best Friends

**March – twelve years old (Bella's POV)**

I hadn't told Edward that my mom, Emmett and I were coming to visit him and his family in Chicago. We only told Carlisle, Esme and Alice because we wanted to surprise Edward. It was really hard for me not to tell him though because whenever we talked on the phone he always asked what I was doing and I felt the urge to tell him, which would have ruined the whole concept of our surprise.

We had already arrived in Chicago and were now on our way to the Cullen's house – I mean mansion. We didn't want Esme or Carlisle to pick us up so they could just do what they did everyday without getting Edward suspicious. Alice had told me that lately he has become very observant of things lately so everyone's acting skills were put to the test.

The taxi pulled up on their driveway and Renee paid him while Emmett and I unloaded our luggage out of the trunk. I took out my cell phone and dialed Edward's cell. It took a while for him to answer but eventually it stopped ringing.

"Hello?" Edward asked, boredom coloring his tone.

"Hey, Edward. It's Bella."

"Oh, hey!" He suddenly sounded happy. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just standing outside someone's huge house." I said while Renee, Emmett I walked quietly up the front steps.

"And why are you standing outside someone's huge house?"

"That's a good question." I replied. "Can you do me a favor? Could you just open your front door?"

"Okay, but why?" He asked. I could tell that he wasn't getting my hint. My God, for someone as smart as Edward, he was seriously missing the big picture.

"Just do it, please." I said bluntly.

"Um, okay." I heard from the other line that he was going down the stairs – three flights of stairs – and the curiosity he had. Without the phone, I could hear someone coming towards the door. When he opened it he looked shocked but then smiled a crooked smile.

"Surprise!" We three yelled.

"Oh wow! I didn't know you guys were coming over!" He said. He hung up his cell phone, as did I. He kissed Renee on the cheek, gave Emmett a high five and lastly gave me a hug.

"Which is the whole concept of surprise." I teased.

We began talking when Esme, Carlisle and Alice came to the door too. They invited us in and helped us bring our stuff up to our rooms. Edward seemed completely oblivious of us coming over without him knowing and even more surprised that everyone in his family knew we were coming for a visit except for him. We told him again that, that was the whole concept of our surprise.

Esme and Carlisle had arranged a big bedroom for me, Emmett, Alice and Edward knowing that we four would like as much time together as possible. Renee got her own room, which she was overly glad with considering she had to calm down Emmett and me after two kids were constantly tripping each other in the airport. It was ridiculous but it was hilarious watching them get up and then fall again.

It was around eight o'clock and Emmett and I were getting our things organized. Well, it was more Alice rather than I because she organized my clothes according to weather conditions and color coordination. How the girl was able to do it was beyond me. That left Edward and I sitting on one of the four beds just talking and laughing.

"I still can't believe you never told me that you were coming. How could I have not picked that up? You're possibly one of the worst liars out there!" he said, still getting passed the whole surprised thing.

"Hey! I am not that bad of a liar." Edward gave me a look and I sighed. "Okay, maybe I'm not the best liar. But you have to admit that I did a pretty good job of not telling you."

He laughed and put his arm around my shoulders. "You're right. I should be giving you an award for next breakout liar." He teased. I laughed when he gave me a round of applause.

Emmett finished putting his things away and came to sit with Edward and me. For a fourteen year-old, his size was very large. Not saying he was over-weight, more like very built. He had a huge grin on his face and then out of nowhere began booming with laughter. I could tell the expression on my face must have been confusion and when I turned to look at Edward he had the same facial expression. We waited for Emmett to stop laughing. Minutes had gone by and still he was on his back, hold onto his stomach while laughing.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked.

"Your face . . . when you first . . . saw us at your door, priceless! And Bella . . . breakout liar award, never . . . going to happen!" He replied, in between giggles.

Edward and I just stared at Emmett. Honestly, you could hand Emmett a pencil and he would start laughing. Alice just stared at Emmett too. I knew Edward was going to retort but I just covered his mouth.

"Think of it this way." I paused. "Emmett no longer does pranks therefore, we are no longer his wingmen."

"Why? What happened to his 'precious' book of pranks?" Edward questioned.

I hesitated before I answered. Afraid Emmett would be angry when he found out what really happened to it. I figured he would have to find out either way. Might as well get over with it now.

"Uh. Let's just say that it mysteriously ended up in the fireplace." I hinted. Edward and Alice got it, and Emmett stopped laughing with his mouth open in awe.

"Oh thank goodness." Alice sighed, and then smiled.

"It was about time." Edward murmured.

Alice, Edward and I just laughed. We laughed even harder when we saw the look on Emmett's face. His eyes were practically bulging out of his head and his mouth was gaping open. If I didn't know the reason behind his expression, I would have said that he looked like he saw a ghost or something.

"You . . . what . . . how . . . my precious pranks!" Emmett stumbled on his words. We laughed at him again but stopped when we saw that look on his face. He had a plan, a plan to get back at us.

"Awe, Emmett! Why do all three of us have to get punished? Shouldn't it just be Bella because we had nothing to do with it?" Edward pleaded. Alice slapped him on the back of his head, hard. He started to rub the place she hit. I just glared at him, he laughed at that.

"Nuh-uh. Since all of you laughed, you are just going to have to watch your backs." He paused. "But since I'm now a man and more mature –"

I started to burst into laughter and so did Edward and Alice. Edward was on his back and Alice was holding her stomach. "A man? More mature?" I scoffed. Emmett just scowled and took in a sigh.

"Anyway. I've let go on the pranks. Instead, I'll just make remarks – some may be inappropriate – when other people are around. For example, I might say them in front of our parents. Just watch yourselves."

Alice and I moaned while Edward just shook his head at Emmett. There was no way out of this and that was what sucked. It was then that Esme told us it was time to go to bed. I tilted my head towards the clock. It was 10:15; it was late for a school night. Edward and Alice had one more day of school before spring break. It would have been Emmett and mine's last day tomorrow too but since we left today, we got an extra day off.

Alice and I were already in our pajamas so Edward and Emmett left the room to go get changed. I walked over to my bed; it was the one by the window. Beside me would be Edward, then Alice and lastly, Emmett. The Cullen's had a huge house. So it was no surprise that the rooms were big enough to fit four beds and still have tons of walking room.

I sat on my bed and brought my knees up to my chest and stared outside the window to see a full moon. Alice was still finishing up organizing my things for me. I protested many times for me to do it but each time she wouldn't let me. I sighed and then turned my head away from the window to see Alice skipping towards me.

"Bella!" She sang. "Come here, I want to show you how I organized your clothes."

I groaned and let her pull me over to the cabinets by my hand. She stopped when we got there and turned towards me.

"Alright. I placed your clothes in the order of the day you'll be wearing them," She opened each cabinet and went through how it should be worn with what. It was very overwhelming. "But don't worry. I'll lay out what you're going to wear each day. I just wanted to let you know how it all works out." She smiled a brilliant smile then.

I chuckled. "Thanks, Al."

Edward came in through the door first before Emmett. Alice walked towards her bed and pulled the covers over her, Emmett did the same. Edward followed the same routine after. I turned off the lights, letting the moon let in very little light in the room. I walked towards my bed slowly and said goodnight to all of them. When I got to my bed and pulled the covers over me I let out a huge sigh.

"Bella?" Edward asked.

"Yes, Edward?"

"I'm really glad you came for spring break."

"I am too," I giggled. "Goodnight Edward." I breathed.

"Night, Bella." He said before he closed his eyes and let sleep take him over.

I turned onto my other side so that I could look out the window, into the night's sky.

"Bella." I heard someone call my name. Correction I heard people call my name. "Bella, wake up. BELLA!" I jumped up to see Edward, Emmett and Alice sitting around my bed. I almost shrieked when I saw them, but luckily nothing came out. My heart just started beat faster from shock.

"It's about time you woke up!" Alice said. "I was just about to poor this glass of cold water on you." And surely enough, there was a full glass of water in her right hand.

I laughed and began to get out of bed. When I looked at Emmett I saw that he was completely wet, and he was shivering.

"What happened to you?" I asked. He pulled his gaze over to Alice's hand, where she was clutching the glass of water. I then looked over at his bed where his pillows were completely soaked. "Oh. Well then, since Emmett has already taken his shower," I teased. "I'm going to go take mine."

I grabbed my bag of toiletries and made my way to the bathroom. I shut the door quietly and turned on the shower. When I finished I combed through my hair, deciding to keep it down and let it dry naturally. I could hear Edward, Alice and Emmett having breakfast downstairs so with a towel on, I made my way to the room to see what Alice laid out for me. On my bed was a pair of dark washed jeans, a black and grey long sleeve sweater and a white cami to go underneath the sweater. I grabbed it and went back to the washroom to change.

Eventually I finished changing and went downstairs for breakfast. Edward and Alice were just about to finish eating and Emmett passed me, no doubt on his way to take a shower.

"Good Morning, Bella. Your mother just went out for a jog so she should be coming soon. Would you like some breakfast?" Asked Esme.

"Good morning to you too. And yes please." I replied. She placed a plate with eggs and bacon, also giving me a glass of orange juice. "Thanks." I said before I began to eat. While letting the food satiate my hunger, I saw that Alice was staring at me, and smiling.

"What?"

"Oh nothing," she sighed. "I was just wondering who picked up that great outfit today is all."

"Ha ha. Which reminds me, thanks for choosing my outfit. And I'm guessing the outfits of the future as well." I giggled.

"Anytime! Anyways, I have to go get my backpack from upstairs. So I'll be right back." At that she raced up the stairs.

Again, I began eating my food in silence. Edward was also eating beside me. From the looks of it, he looked tired and was not excited for school. He let out a big sigh and slouched in his chair.

"I'm guessing the idea of going to school today is not sounding appeasing to you." I assumed.

"Not at all. First off, you and Emmett will be here and I won't get to see you until 3 o'clock. And lastly, I'll be seeing this girl who won't leave me alone!"

I chuckled and I saw him narrow his eyes at me.

"What's this girl's name anyway?"

"Jessica Stanley. She keeps on flirting with me and I've told her plenty of times that I am not interested in her but she doesn't stop." He put his face in his hands.

"Well all I can say is, good luck," He laughed when I said that. "But on the bright side, you'll actually be seeing me at 2:45 because me, Emmett, my mom and Esme will be picking you and Alice up."

He lifted his head from his hands so that he could smile at me. I then heard someone run down the stairs. I turned my head and saw Alice: Edward saw her too and got up. Carlisle was already waiting in the car for them and honked the horn for them to go to the car. Before they left Alice ran over to me hugged me and Edward did the same. Edward's lasted longer which led to Alice clearing her throat, gesturing for him to let go.

When they left through the door, Edward smiled his crooked smile at me before he closed the door behind him. I got up from the table to put my plate in the sink, but Esme told me that she would do it. When I protested she just said for me to relax because we were the guests. I couldn't really deny that so I went up to the room and pulled out my diary.

_Dear Diary,_

_So, I haven't really written in a while. Honestly, there's nothing much to write about. But, yesterday we arrived in Chicago and are now in the Cullen's house. Though I'm sad that Edward and Alice would be in school today, but I still have a whole week and a half before our flight leaves for Phoenix. Besides that, Alice has already gotten to my wardrobe and I 'm not too surprised about that. Emmett found out about his pranks journal, and now he is out to get me, Edward and Alice. Fantastic . . . not. Edward and I haven't really gotten a chance to hang out – just the two of us – yet but it's okay because I'm sure we will eventually. Anyways, I'm going to end this before I sound like I'm writing a biography._

_Sincerely, Bella._

I closed my diary and put it in my suitcase. I was going to put it in my cabinets, hide it in my clothes but I knew Alice would be looking in the drawers so the suitcase sounded best. I went down the stairs where I saw Emmett sitting on the couch while Esme and Renee were chatting away. I went to the couch Emmett was sitting and sat beside him. He was watching some ridiculous show. I didn't know what it was until I saw a girl with a blond wig on.

"Seriously, Emmett? You're watching Hannah Montana?" I detested that show. I found no purpose in the plot at all.

"No not really. More like staring at the screen and laughing when someone falls on their face."

We sat in silence for a while. Then a boy – whose name was either Oliver or Orlando, one of those – fell flat on his face. Emmett started to burst into laughter and I giggled too. If he laughs every single time I fell, then obviously he would laugh if anyone else would stumble.

The day passed without consequence. Esme and Renee would be gossiping at the dinner table while Emmett and I watched pointless things on T.V. Oh, and every two minutes Emmett would laugh. Then I would smack him on the head, only resulting him to laughing more.

By the time me and Emmett were watching Two and a Half Men – the last of the twenty different shows we watched – Esme and Renee told us it was time to pick up Edward and Alice from school. When Esme opened the garage door her car was nicely parked in the space. Emmett just stared at her car while Renee and I just got in. I wasn't surprised that Emmett was so infatuated with her car. All I knew was that it was a Mercedes. That was an expensive car right?

The ride from the Cullen's home to Edward and Alice's school was around fifteen minutes long. Though the time could have fooled me because Esme drove very fast. When we parked in the school's parking lot Esme and Renee told Emmett and me to go get Edward and Alice. We got out and started to search for the two.

"Emmett, Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart are not played by two different actors. They are both played by Miley Cyrus." I stated while Emmett and I walked through the field in search for either Edward or Alice.

"Yes they are! How do you explain the two different hair color and style, Bella?"

"It's called a wig," He was going to retort. "If you don't believe me go search on the Internet. Yeesh, Emmett I know more about this show then you do and I can't stand Hannah Montana!"

Emmett just grunted and shut up. Thank goodness. I then spotted Alice sitting on the field with a magazine in her hand.

"There's Alice," I pointed out to Emmett, who saw her too. "Alice!" I called. She turned her head and smiled when she spotted us. She ran towards us and engulfed both Emmett and I into a big hug.

"It's about time you guys came!" She joked.

"Hey, have you seen Edward?" I asked her.

"Um, oh there he is. With that Jessica Stanley girl." She pointed to the other side of the field. "I don't know how stupid someone can be to see that he is not interested in her!" Alice said, stomping her foot in the process. Emmett laughed.

"How about you guys wait right here. I'll go get Edward." I said to them. I left before they could object.

I walked towards Edward and the closer I got I saw an annoyed expression on his face as that Jessica girl kept on flirting with him. When he looked away he saw me coming forward. He smiled at me and I waved at him.

"Hey, Bella!" He yelled as I approached him. He hugged me and I saw Jessica getting mad.

"Hey, Edward." I replied.

"Who is she?" I heard a nasal-like voice say from behind me. I turned around and saw a small girl with brown ringlets.

"Hi, I'm Bella." I greeted. I held my hand for her to shake it but she just glared at me. I put my hand back to my side and Edward took it. It was natural for us to hold hands, but Jessica took it the wrong way and if she could have exploded, she would have.

"I don't care what you're name is. I just want to know how you know Edward."

"Oh, well um, I'm his –"

"Girlfriend." Edward said, cutting me off. I stared at him in surprise. "Bella's my girlfriend." He hit me softly with elbow, wanting me to play along.

"Uh, yeah. I'm his girlfriend." I lied.

"How can you have a girlfriend if you're seeing me, Edward?" Jessica asked.

"For the last time, Jessica. I do not feel the same way about you." She was going to cut in but Edward spoke again. "Anyway I have to go." Edward kissed me softly on the cheek and I heard her gasp.

We started to stroll to where Emmett and Alice were waiting for us, still holding hands. We let go when we got closer to them, and farther away so that Jessica couldn't see us anymore. I heard Emmett still arguing about the whole Hannah Montana situation to Alice. She was telling him the whole plot of the show. Eventually he got it, but it took a lot of convincing.

The ride to Edward's house wasn't actually quiet. Esme and Renee were laughing and Edward, Alice and I were talking too. Emmett was amazingly not talking and just kept a smile on his face. I knew that look. Oh no . . .

"So Edward, Bella, when exactly were you going to tell us that you guys were an item?" Esme drove off to the side and parked the car.

"You're what?" Esme and Renee said at the same time, with a hint of glee in their voices. Though why they sounded happy was not in my knowledge.

"No we're not." Edward said. "This girl, Jessica Stanley wouldn't leave me a lone so Bella came over to help me out."

"Yeah, I just pretended to be his girlfriend."

Alice tried to hold in her giggles. "You actually believed Emmett when he said that Edward and Bella were . . . dating?" It was then that Alice couldn't hold in her laughter and neither could Edward and I.

Renee and Esme sighed both looking disappointed and the car began to move again. Emmett just murmured to himself, mad that his plan didn't work that time. Serves him right anyway.

* * *

**Esme's POV**

I was sure when Emmett said that Edward and Bella were finally together. Granted, they're only twelve but in time they will realize they were meant for each other. I wasn't mad at Emmett, of course not. I was just disappointed that Edward and Bella were only acting to be boyfriend and girlfriend so that a girl would leave Edward alone. I knew Renee, too, was sad. It was both of our dreams for my son and her daughter to love each other passionately.

Both Renee and I have thought about it since the moment the two had met. They were just so adorable. I could remember it so clearly . . .

_Flashback – four years old (3rd Person)_

_Renee was taking Bella over to the Cullen's home. Charlie had to stay in Phoenix and Emmett stayed with him and Carlisle was at work. Esme and Renee planned to see each other then since they hadn't seen each other in a while. Plus, they wanted for Bella and Edward to finally meet. Renee and Esme had been best friends for as long as they could remember. They wanted that for their kids. Since Edward and Bella were both the same age it made sense._

_With Bella's hand in hers, Renee walked Bella up the stairs to the front door. Bella was very shy and quiet, but once she got to know someone all the evasiveness was broken. Renee rang the doorbell and shortly after the door had opened showing Esme and little Edward._

_"Renee! It's so nice to see you again!" Esme said and hugged her._

_Renee chuckled softly and hugged Esme back. "It's wonderful to see you too, Esme. It seems like forever since I've seen you." They let go of each other and began laughing. "Oh! Before I forget, this is my daughter, Bella." Renee put her hand softy on Bella's back._

_"It's nice to see you, Bella. This is my son, Edward." Esme gestured to him._

_"Hi! My name is Edward! What's yours?" Edward asked._

_"Isabella. But I like it when people call me Bella." Bella replied softly._

_"Do you wanna play?"_

_Bella's face lit up and she slowly smiled. "Otay!"_

_It was then that Bella ran upstairs to play with Edward. Renee and Esme chuckled and made their way to the living room. While they were talking, they could hear Edward and Bella laughing upstairs. They were both glad that their children had already become friends so quickly._

_"Bella is usually very shy around people for a while. She was quite fond of Edward quickly." Renee stated._

_"I know. Edward is usually bitter when he meets someone very new to him." Renee and Esme laughed and talked about how amazing their friendship will grow, as do they._

_Bella and Edward began running down the stairs and laughing._

_"Eddie, you're my best friend!" Bella proclaimed._

_"You're my best friend too, Bells!"_

_When they reached the end of the stairs they hugged and Edward kissed her on the cheek. Bella blushed a little bit and smiled. Edward smiled too and then hugged her again. They then went down to the basement where some of Edward's toys were held._

_"It's almost like I can hear wedding bells!" Esme said._

_"I know!"_

_Esme and Renee sighed, thinking of Edward and Bella falling in love with each other._

_(End Flashback)_

"Don't worry, Esme," The sound of Renee's voice brought me back to reality. "They will figure it out sooner or later." Renee sighed.

"Oh, I know they will. We just have to sit back and watch is all. And unfortunately, the disadvantage of watching is waiting for the day to happen."

"Damn. Well, as long as it happens, that's all that matters right? Fate will come eventually and bring them together."

"Right." I agreed, before her and me got dinner ready.

* * *

**Bella's POV**

I felt someone shaking my shoulders. I opened my eyes to the sunlight and then turned my head to see Edward was the one shaking me. My eyes made contact with his green ones and he stopped shaking, but still kept his hand on my shoulder.

"Finally, you're awake!" Edward stated.

I groaned, fighting my eyes from closing. "What time is it?"

"8:30" he said bluntly. 8:30? Was he insane? "Now, before you protest, let me remind you that today is your last day here before you leave for Phoenix."

"And waking me up at 8:30 even if it is my last day is because . . ."

"Because you and I haven't had a chance just hang out, just the two of us. And I want to spend as much time with you as possible."

Now that I think about it, Edward and me haven't actually hung out alone the whole time I was here. Well, when you were busy guarding yourself and others from Emmett and trying to calm Alice down when she got too jumpy, you never really got time to spend with only your best friend.

"What about Emmett and Alice?" I asked.

"Alice is going to be at her friend's house for the day and Emmett is with your mom and mine. They're taking him shopping. Not clothes shopping though, more like groceries and necessities." Sucks to be Emmett. "So today is just going to you and me." He smiled.

"Great! Let me just get ready." I got out of bed and saw the clothes Alice chose for me. I grabbed them and went to the bathroom.

After my shower a combed my hair and then scrunched it. The outfit Alice gave me was simple. A pair of jeans, and a nice polo. I figured that since it was my last day that she gave me a break from the glamorous.

I got back to the room to see Edward sitting on his bed. I sat beside him and turned my head so I could see him.

"So, what's the plan for today?" I asked.

"Well, for one thing, I can't drive. So that eliminates the leisure centre, the movie theater and the mall. Though I knew you didn't want to go to the mall anyway." He teased. "Oh, I know! How about we walk to Starbucks! It's only a fifteen-minute walk and it should be open. It is 9:15 after all."

I contemplated that. Caffeine did sound really appetizing. "Okay let's go."

The walk to Starbucks seemed longer than fifteen minutes. Maybe it was just me. I was never one for physical activities not to mention how much I lack at balance. I kept on tripping and Edward always caught me. Whenever he did I blushed and he chuckled. We held hands and laughed over the silliest things imaginable.

Finally we got to Starbucks. The line wasn't too long and it wasn't completely packed. Edward ordered a mocha cappuccino while I ordered the double chocolaty-chip frappacino. I was going to pay when Edward said he'll do it. I started to object but he just got our drinks, paid the cashier and brought us over to a table. I gave up and Edward laughed.

"So where do you think we'll be going for the summer?" I asked him.

"Hmm, I'm not completely sure. Last I heard, we were either going on a cruise to Hawaii or Mexico. Either way, we're going somewhere hot." He replied.

"As long as it's warm, that's all that matters." Edward laughed at that. He knew that I hated the cold and the wet.

We left Starbucks shortly after we finished our drinks. On our way back, Edward and I linked arms. My stomach began to hurt from laughing so much. Neither of us could keep a straight face, I blame the caffeine.

It didn't really help when we decided to stuff ourselves with candy and soda. Goodness, we were so hyper that we couldn't stay still. And we would be giggling at absolutely nothing but it was enough to keep us laughing for a good ten minutes.

When it was around four o'clock everyone started to come back. Edward and I had calmed ourselves by then. We even cleaned up making sure that we didn't look like we went crazy while it was only the two of us.

Emmett had told us how horrible it was to go shopping with out mothers. We couldn't help but laugh at that. Alice told us what her and her friend, Lindsay did the whole day and it felt like the list of what they did took so long. It made me think how they were even able to do that only in a day. When they asked us what Edward and I had done all day, we just said that we went to Starbucks and watched some movies. Technically that was true; we just left out the whole manic part.

It was around 11:30 when everyone went to bed. Renee, Emmett and I had a flight to catch at three in the afternoon. The only ones who stayed up was me and Edward. He lay with me on my bed by the window. We had to whisper so we wouldn't wake anyone up.

"Don't forget to call me. If you do, you know what happens." I threatened him.

"I know, I know. Either way, if I don't call you'll call me." I had to agree with him on that. "Just do me a favor next time."

"And what's this favor of yours?"

"Next time you decide to come over, tell me. Don't surprise me next time." He teased. I chuckled quietly and he put his arm around me.

"Hey, Edward. Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course. Now shoot."

"We'll always be best friends, right?"

"The best of best friends." He held out his pinky and I linked mine with his so we pinky swore. "I Promise."

"Good." I smiled.

He kissed me nicely on my forehead before I rested my head on his chest. His arm was still around me. I then heard him deeply breathing. I looked up to see him sleeping. I closed my eyes as well, and let myself fall asleep in Edward's arms.

* * *

**What did you think of this chapter? It's pretty long, I know. 6,082 words; that's probably the longest chapter I've ever written for a fanfic. So, hopefully you enjoyed it! I'll try to update as soon as I can but with school starting on Monday it will be a bit hectic. But don't fret, I won't forget you. This story is too fun to write for me to forget. I have big plans, so prepare yourselves! Okay I'll just end this by saying . . . _Please Review!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just friends?**

**Full Summary:** Bella and Edward have been the best of friends for as long as they can remember. Even though Bella lives in Phoenix and Edward lives in Chicago, their friendship is still strong. As they grow older they soon realize their true feelings toward each other. Friendship, romance and jealousy is what this story holds. Will love blossom between the two?

**Author's Note:** Emmett is 16, Edward and Bella are 14 and Alice is 13. The POV's from Bella and Emmett.

* * *

Chapter 3: Winter Wonderland

**C****hristmas – fourteen years old (Bella's POV)**

Instead of either going to Phoenix or Chicago for Christmas like we all usually plan, we decided to spend Christmas Holidays in Calgary. We rented one big house and everything. Esme, Renee and Alice were able to find and bring some decorations so we can put it all over the house. Charlie and Carlisle were surprisingly able to find a very large Christmas tree. And Emmett, Edward and I were just the ones to watch and help decorate the tree. Esme, Renee, Carlisle, Charlie and Alice didn't really trust us with anything else because a) Emmett never takes things seriously, b) Edward wouldn't have a clue on what to do and finally, c) because I am the clumsiest out of all.

The presents were nicely placed under the tree and the house smelled like turkey and mashed potatoes. I'm sure there was much more food it was just that those two had the most distinct smell.

"Merry Christmas!" Alice yelled when Emmett and I entered the room.

"Christmas isn't until tomorrow, Alice." I stated.

"Oh, hush. Technically it's Christmas Eve so I guess I should be saying Merry Christmas Eve."

I chuckled and went over to give her a hug. "Let me guess, Al. You've already set up a party for tomorrow right?"

"You know me too well." She said before she let go of me. "Hey, Emmett could you possibly arrange the presents by name? Without opening them?"

"Oh come on, Alice. I have better control than that." Alice just gave him a look and Emmett looked abashed. "Fine, I'll prove it to you!"

Emmett made his way over to the Christmas tree and sat down on the floor by the presents. He began to take on present at a time and organize it. It was so like Emmett to prove himself to others. Alice began to giggle softly and turned around to face me. She caught site of something behind me so I turned around to see what she was looking at.

Edward was leaning on the doorway, also laughing at Emmett's behavior. Edward was taller now and throughout the years had lost lots of childish roundness, making his facial structure more definite.

"It's about time you got here. I need you and Bella to make the gingerbread house." Alice walked over to the table and picked up a gingerbread house kit. She placed it in my hands and turned me around towards Edward.

"Okay, okay we're going!" I told her.

I walked towards the door and Edward put his arm around my shoulders. We made our way to the kitchen and I placed the box on the counter. We stared at it for a while. Neither of us were any good at making ginger bread houses, that was a known fact.

"I guess we'd better get to it." Edward sighed. "I hope Alice knows that she placed the responsibility of a ginger bread house to the worst architects in the house."

"I'm pretty sure she knows. It's just the fact that this was the only task she gave us. At least we're not decorating the entire house or supervising Emmett while he arranges the presents." We both shuddered at the last one.

I began to open the box and take out the contents inside. There were house pieces, icing and a whole bunch of candy. Edward was about to grab one of the m&m's but I slapped his hand and he pulled away. This was going to be interesting.

When we were building the house, it wasn't the simplest of things. First off, we forgot to put it together with the icing. So it fell down a couple times. Eventually we got it. After that we put icing on the roof, on the platform and on various places for decoration. The candies were a bit trickier though. Edward kept on sneaking them into his mouth when he thought I wasn't looking; so we were a little short on those.

Finally after an hour and a half of making the ginger bread house, it was finished. Hallelujah! Edward and I took a couple steps back to get a better view of the whole thing. It honestly didn't look that bed. Granted, it wasn't the best looking ginger bread house but for us being the makers of it, it looked pretty good. I fiddled with the green jewel that was hanging on my neck and Edward looked at it.

"What?" I asked.

"You still wear that?"

"Of course I do!" I said in matter-of-fact tone. "You gave it to me, why wouldn't I wear it?"

Edward just smiled at me at played with jewel in his fingers. He let it go and it once again hung on the golden chain around my neck.

"It just surprised me that you are still wearing it. I gave it to you when we were six. It's been eight years."

"And yet, we are still best friends." I pointed out. He chuckled and we walked towards the counter where there was extra icing and some candies.

"You're silly for thinking that I would think the necklace you gave me was insignificant." I put my finger in the icing so that I had some on the tip of it. I smeared it on Edward's cheek and he looked at me surprised.

"You did not just do that."

I checked his cheek and made an observation on it. "Well, as you can see. There is icing all over your cheek so I'm guessing I did do that."

Edward then put his hand in the icing. He got enough to smother someone with it. Before I knew what he was doing he smeared it all over my face. I gasped and wiped some of from eyes to see him laughing. I got a hand full of icing and chucked it at him. It was all over his face and some got in his hair.

"Right back at you!" I yelled.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that."

He got too handfuls of icing and started chasing me. I began to run all over the house, from the top of the house to the bottom. Amazingly, he still hadn't caught me. I made my way back to the kitchen still laughing, with Edward on my trail. We were then on opposite sides of the table and each time to jerked to one side he would do the same.

In my peripheral vision I saw a bottle of chocolate syrup near the pantry. I ran over to it and retrieved it. With the cap open I pointed at him like it was a gun.

"If you throw that at me you are going to chocolate-ized." I threatened.

Edward just laughed and before I knew it, he threw the icing at me. I squeezed the bottle full of chocolate and it got all over him. His mouth was wide open in shock. He started to run for me but I was too slow to move. He grabbed me from behind and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"It's a good thing I like chocolate," Edward teased. "I hope you like chocolate too because it' all over you now as well."

I squeezed the bottle again, aiming at his face. He only smiled and then spread the chocolate all over my cheek with his.

"Oh my God." We heard someone say from the doorway. Edward and I stopped what we were doing and looked to see who was standing there. Alice was standing straight and her eyes filled with shock.

"What did you guys do?" She asked.

"It's a long story." I replied.

Alice just held up her finger. "You know what, I don't want know. Just go get cleaned up. I'll clean up here." She sighed and made her way towards the sink.

Edward and I snickered before we left the room. When we walked past Carlisle and Charlie on the stairs they told us they didn't want to know. We laughed harder at that.

"Rock, paper, scissors. Winner gets to take a shower first." Edward said. There were three bathrooms in the house with a shower. The parents had rooms that shared a bathroom and Alice and Emmett had the same. Edward and I also had rooms that shared a bathroom. Neither Alice nor the moms would allow us to take a shower in the mess we were in so that only left us with ours.

"Okay," I agreed. "One, two, three." I shot scissors and he shot paper.

"Scissors cuts paper! I get the shower first." I said as I walked passed him. Before I closed the door I saw Edward glaring at me. I laughed and then shut the door.

Getting the icing and the chocolate syrup out of my hair took forever. It was all sticky and only a ton of shampoo was able to get it out. It's a good thing my shampoo and conditioner smelled like strawberries, because the scent was going to be overpowering with the amount I had used. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. I walked over to the mirror and wiped off the vapor that stuck to it. I combed my hair and scrunched it before putting it into a messy bun.

"Okay, Edward. You can take a shower now!" I yelled from my room so he could hear.

"It's about time. I thought by the time you finished I could die and then come back to life again."

"Funny, funny." I said sarcastically.

"Oh, I know it was." I heard him turn on the shower then.

I picked my clothes carefully, not wanting Alice to overreact if I made the wrong decision. So I just picked an orange three-quarter sleeve shirt, a white lace cami to go underneath and a pair of dark wash skinny jeans. Hopefully she was pleased.

By the time I finished getting changed and walked out of my room, Edward was already changed and waiting for me.

"Wow, you got cleaned up fast."

He chuckled. "Think of it this way," He said, still smiling. "I don't have as long of hair as you, therefore the stuff on my head was easier to get out. And also, I don't take so long choosing what I'm going to wear."

"Hey! You try having Alice convict you if you wear the wrong thing." I retorted.

"You're right. Though it's not my fault that my knowledge in fashion is beyond yours." He teased.

"And it's not my fault that my intelligence is far beyond yours."

"Touché." He said bluntly though he was scowling at me.

I just chuckled and hugged him. He laughed as well and wrapped his arms around me. We let go of each other before we started to stride down the stairs.

**Emmett's POV**

Had I just seen something right? Were Edward and Bella just hugging? Well, I mean they always hug so it's not like it's anything out of the ordinary. It's just that now they hugged for a long time and seemed perfectly content with each other. Hold on for a second. Does that mean . . . Oh my God.

I ran downstairs in search of Alice. It's a good thing I went to the kitchen first because I was hungry, because she was there wiping the counter. She jumped back when she saw me but then laughed and went back to wiping.

"Alice!" I yelled. "I think there's something going on."

"What's going on?"

"Edward and Bella." I muttered. When I said that, she dropped the cloth and put her hands on her hips. She stared at me, waiting for me to go on. "Do you think that they maybe, I don't know um, are meant to be together?"

"Well, yeah obviously. Me, Esme and Renee have been waiting for a while. Hell, even Carlisle and Charlie want them together!" She said.

"So you mean to tell me, that everyone thought they belonged together and no one told me about this!"

"Yeah. That's pretty much it." I was going to retort but she began to speak again. "Emmett, if you think about it. If we told you, you would tell Edward and Bella. That would just screw things up. So, now that you found out on your own do you want to tell them?"

"Well yeah I want to tell them. But it's kind of freaky thinking of my sister having a boyfriend. Let alone the boyfriend being Edward. I mean I love them both but seriously . . . they're only fourteen."

"Exactly." Was all Alice said.

"Okay, what? I think I'm missing the big picture here."

Alice just sighed, shaking her head. "That's what I mean. We all figured that if we told you that they are meant to be together when you were younger, you wouldn't have the subconscious and just tell them. Plus, if you were younger they would be younger too and get completely grossed out with each other."

"So what you're saying is," I breathed. "Is that they really love each other but they just don't know it yet. And, you want to let fate take its course?" Alice was being too confusing.

"Yup. Though I'm kind of depressed you just figured it out now. I thought it was obvious, the way they look at each other is very noticeable."

I thought about all the times they were together. When they were at the beach, in New York, when we went to visit the Cullen's in Chicago, Hawaii, and the most recent, a few minutes ago in the hallway. All of those times had something in common. They looked at each other like they really cared for the other.

Okay either my response to all of this is ew, my little sister, Bella actually falling in love. Or this is a great thing; Bella won't fall in love with a freak.

I took a deep breath and then, I thought of something. What if we could help them realize their love fore each other? Emmett, you are a genius.

"Alice, I have an idea!" I called.

"That's a first." I glared at her but she just chuckled. "What this "idea" of yours, Emmett?"

"Depends. Are you going to be a part of my plan or not?"

"Depends, is it the kind of idea that involves a joke?"

"No. Actually it's very serious." You'd think that me being sixteen would let the others accept the fact that I'm more mature, but no!

"Alright. Then count me in. Now tell me this idea of yours." She said in all seriousness.

"It's quite simple actually." I walked over to grab a cookie from the cookie jar. "All we need is Edward, Bella and some mistletoe . . ."

**Bella's POV:**

"Merry Christmas!" I heard someone say.

That person kept on jumping on my bed, trying to wake me up. My eyes fluttered open to see it was Alice that woke me up. Of course it was Alice. Who else would be so jumpy so early in the morning?

I yawned and began to stretch. I sat up, still keeping the covers on top of my legs. Alice jumped off then began to hug me.

"Merry Christmas to you. I'm glad you're saying it on the right day now."

She got out of our hug to give me a glare. She obviously got the hint of what I said. Reminding her of yesterday when she said 'Merry Christmas' to us, but then corrected herself and said 'Merry Christmas Eve.' I just chuckled and she smiled again.

"We're not going to open presents this morning, because we all –" I cut her off and began where she . . . well, where I made her stop.

"We all decided to open them after Christmas dinner. I remember." I said as I got out of bed. "So what do we need to do today for tonight?"

"Renee, Esme, Charlie and Carlisle told us not to do anything. When I protested they just told me to get you guys out of the house and have some fun."

"I'll go get ready then." Before I got to my closet, Alice was already holding up an outfit for me. "Okay then. Let me just change."

She left the room for me to get ready. When she closed the door I began to strip out of my pajamas. I put on the light jeans and v-neck sweater she gave me and then made my to the mirror. I had a serious case of bed head. Though amazingly the tangles weren't too hard to let my brush run through. I remembered when I was younger that my hair used to be frizzy and wavy. Now my hair made soft, controlled curls. What a relief.

I walked out of my room and met Alice in the hallway. She was leaning against the wall and humming a song. When she saw me she stood up straight and smiled, no longer humming. She strolled over to me tugged at my arm, dragging me with her. She took me downstairs on the way to the dining room. When we got there I saw that Edward was already sitting down. Our parents probably already had breakfast, and Edward, Alice, Emmett and I usually wait for each other before we all eat. Hence the reason why Edward wasn't eating yet.

Alice sat me down on the seat beside Edward and then took her seat that was across from mine.

"Good morning," Edward greeted. "It's about time you woke up. If Alice hadn't gone upstairs you'd probably be asleep still."

"It's not a crime to get some sleep, you know." I joked. I scanned the table to see there were only three of us seated at the table. "Where's Emmett?"

"Edward woke him up." Alice said.

I turned my head to face Edward. I motioned for him to begin talking.

"I woke up him up like ten minutes ago. It was very hard. I had to get three glasses of water and blaring music for him to wake up. He should be here soon."

I just nodded my head and Alice began to talk about clothes and all the new styles she wanted to try out. I just rolled my eyes and Edward shook his head. It's not like I detest clothes. I used to, but now I know that they are a necessity. In fact, I actually have fun shopping with Alice, when she doesn't go completely nuts on me. Edward was a boy, so obviously he wasn't that much into style. But with having Alice as a sister he knew what the right things to wear were.

Edward and I just sat there and let Alice speak. When she paused we said the occasional "aahhh's" and "mmmm's" so she wouldn't think we were completely spaced out. But in truth, we were totally out of the conversation. It seemed like it would take forever for Emmett to get ready. Just when I was about to get up and bring him down, Emmett walked in and sat down in his seat.

"That took a long time." I said.

"Well, first I had to take a really hot shower because someone," he glared at Edward. "Decided to drench me in three glasses full of freezing water. Then I couldn't find my cell phone because someone," Again, he glared at Edward. "Used it and put on my music to the loudest possible volume as some sort of wake up call." Emmett huffed and slouched in his seat.

"But are you awake now?" Edward asked.

"No crap I'm awake. I've never been so active after I've waken up."

Esme and Renee then came in and set our plates in front of us. We greeted each other and said "Merry Christmas." I felt kind of bad that they were serving our food for us and we were just sitting here seeming like we were waiting for our food. When they left the room we turned on the T.V to watch the news – there isn't really anything to watch on Christmas morning – and began to eat our breakfast.

The food was very good. I knew Esme must have done most of the work because Renee would have probably added something else to it and make it one of her masterpieces of food. It was nice to have just normal chocolate-chip pancakes.

"By the way, where did you find your cell phone?"

Emmett dropped his fork and narrowed his eyes at Edward. "In the back pocket of one of my jeans."

"Okay, in my defense I thought that you were going to be wearing those jeans today." Edward said, smirking still.

Emmett just shook his head and began to eat. Alice tried holding back her laughter and so did Edward and I. We knew that if we laughed Emmett he would make us pay for laughing at his embarrassing moments.

"So what's on the agenda today?" I asked.

"I was thinking that maybe we could just walk around today. We are after all close to a nice park. It will be nice out today, so it shouldn't be too cold." Edward suggested.

"That's cool with me." Emmett replied.

"Me too." Alice just nodded and kept her eyes on her plate. "What's wrong, Alice?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just sad that all of the malls are closed today." Alice just sighed. We all chuckled and Alice just pouted.

"How about this," Emmett said. "Why don't we just go tomorrow since tomorrow is Boxing Day?"

"What's boxing day?" Edward and I asked. Alice's mouth just gaped open and she stared at us,

"It's this day where all of the stores go on sale because Christmas is over. The sales are huge and it's like a once a year thing." I felt my face fall in confusion. How did Emmett know that? Okay, so he was more into style than I was but still. "Alice told me. We don't have it in the States. Only in Canada." That made more sense, as if Emmett would actually know about sales.

"Okay then. Today we hang out in the park and tomorrow we hit the mall." Edward said. Alice's face lit up and she began to clap her hands quickly.

We finished eating our breakfast and then brought our dishes over to the sink in the kitchen. After we began to get our coats, scarves and gloves on. It wasn't actually cold outside, but compared to Phoenix it was. Edward and Alice were used to this sort of weather where as Emmett and I weren't even close. Charlie and Esme were setting up the Christmas lights and said goodbye to us when we started walking out of the house.

It was around 11:30 when we made our way to the park but the sun was high above the clear-blue sky and I welcomed it. The snow sparkled in the light and there was a slight winter breeze in the air. The park was very close to the house we were staying in, so it was only a ten minute walk.

When we stepped through the pathway that the park provided I gasped. The trees were large and the snow that lay on the leaf-less branches sparkled. The Bow River was ice, but there were couples and families skating. It was like a winter wonderland.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Alice proclaimed.

"I agree." I said.

"It is. Now, it's time for the real fun." Emmett grimaced at Edward and he just nodded, with a crooked smile plastered on his face.

Alice was just as confused as I was. I turned my back on her to find that Emmett and Edward weren't with us anymore. I then heard Alice shriek so I whipped myself around to see Emmett carrying her and running away. She was fighting him and trying to get off. She was laughing but still screaming. I was about to run after her when I felt someone grab me from my knees. I was swung over his shoulders and when I looked up I saw bronze hair.

"Edward! Put me down this instant!" I demanded. Edward only chuckled and started walking over towards the river.

I tried to get off but I knew it was useless. Edward was much stronger than me and I knew he wouldn't let go. So I stopped fighting and just let him take me wherever he planned to take me.

"Edward, if you don't put me down I will rip you to shreds and then burn the pieces!"

"Bella even if you tried I would run. Not only am I faster, but while running you might trip and fall on your face. So I advise you to think of another plan." He teased.

I just sighed. Edward finally set me down on the bench by the river. He sat down beside me and began to chuckle. I scowled at him but as soon as he smiled at me I felt a smile form on my lips too. Damn Edward for being such a kiss-up, and not even knowing it.

The sun was high up in the sky now so I suspected it be somewhat around noon. At this time we would have been eating lunch but with Esme's breakfast I was very full. I was looking all over the place, from the pathway to the trees, to the soft snow on the ground and then to the lake. It was very nice out here; I never knew Calgary had such a beautiful park. I knew that there were Christmas lights on the trees however it was kind of hard to notice since they weren't on because it was light out.

I turned my head so I could see Edward. He, too, was also scanning the park, absorbing it all. I saw his breath in the air as he breathed in and out and his cheeks were a little red from the cold. His green eyes sparkled in the light and his bronze hair blew with the wind. I felt self-conscious about being best friends with such a beautiful person. I sighed, louder than I intended.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked anxiously.

"Oh . . . um nothing."

"Bells, I know when you are hiding something. Not to mention you are a terrible lair."

I always told Edward everything I was thinking. Except for maybe when it should be kept to myself, but still, he was like my second diary. However, I was too embarrassed to tell him this.

"I was just thinking, when we get home Alice is going to primp me up. I won't be able to get out of her wrath." I shook my head slightly and heard Edward laugh softly.

"I know I protect you from a lot of things but that . . . that is inevitable. Think of it this way, you don't live with her."

"Ah, but I do with live with Emmett. Sure he doesn't do pranks or make idiotic remarks, but sometimes I wonder if he really is two years older than me or just an overly-sized toddler." I joked. Edward laughed with me.

I then felt something hit me in the back of my head. It was cold, and the impact of the hit throbbed for a few moments. Ice started to trickle down the back of my neck and I shivered. I then heard a thump beside me and I looked to see what it was. Edward had a shocked look on his face and I saw that the back of his head was filled with snow. We both turned around slowly. Alice and Emmett were standing a few feet away from us, with a pile of snowballs carried in their arms.

Emmett began to laugh and Alice just grinned. Edward moved from the bench, pulling me along. He was holding my hand and dragging me over to the nearest tree.

"Snowball fight!" Emmett boomed.

Edward crouched down on the ground and scrunching snow together. It was war. I began making snowballs with him in a rush. I heard thumps on the back of the tree and I knew Emmett and Alice were only throwing them to tell us to hurry.

"Ready?" Edward asked.

"Definitely, let's do this."

"Okay, on my count we start throwing." I nodded my head and we both started to get up slowly. We began to step to the edge of the tree. "One, two . . . three!"

We came out of the back of the tree and started throwing like mad. We hit Emmett and Alice with surprise. The looks on their faces were priceless.

"Hold up!" Emmett yelled. We stopped throwing and waited for him to say something. "I think it should be us boys against you girls. What do you say?"

We all contemplated that. I then walked over to Alice's side and linked my arm through hers. "Alright, deal. Just don't cry when we girls beat you." I mocked.

Edward and Emmett scoffed and then began to walk farther away from us. Probably talking strategy. Alice and I did the same too. We walked over to a circle that was between the trees. We sat down and started to make as many snowballs as possible. I took my cell phone out and saw that it was 3:00.

"Okay, Alice. We have fifteen minutes until we start. What's our plan?"

"Well, Emmett shouldn't be too hard. Just sneak up on him and then, bam! I'll take Emmett, he won't even know I'll be coming because I'm much tinier than him."

"What about Edward? We know his intelligence is a much larger range than Emmett's."

"Which is why you're going to be taking him. You know him well." We started to gather the snowballs and carry them in our arms. "Are you ready to fight?"

"Nope, but I'm ready to win." I cleared.

"That's the attitude!" Alice cheered.

We then separated. She went right and I went left. Looking for Edward was not easy at all. In fact, I felt like I was looking for a pin in a haystack. I kept on taking careful steps so that not only will I be kept quiet, but also so that I wouldn't fall. The snow that crunched under my feet wasn't too loud so it was okay. I was cautious of my surroundings, looking for anything bronze headed.

I took out my cell phone and saw that it was 4:15. It had been exactly an hour and I still hadn't found him. In the distance I heard someone huff and someone else let out a light laugh. Alice got Emmett. One down, one more to go.

I took another step and then heard something on my right. I whipped around and saw nothing. I was about to turn back when someone jumped on me. I fell on top of the snow and luckily didn't hurt myself in the process. There was something heavy on me. When I cleared the snow that covered my eyes I saw it was Edward who pummeled me.

We just stayed that way, both breathless. After a few silent minutes I finally began to laugh. Edward giggled as well. He was still on top of me when I heard footsteps coming our way. Both mine and Edward's heads turned and saw two pairs of feet right beside us. My eyes trailed up and of course, Emmett and Alice were standing there. I then gathered snow in my hand smeared it on Edward's face. I began to laugh and Edward got off of me, getting the snow out of his face.

"Girls win!" I yelled.

"What? No way!" Emmett retorted.

"Believe it. Alice got you and I just got Edward. So let me repeat myself," I cleared my throat for emphasis. "Girls win!"

Alice laughed and gave me a high five. "Anyways it's time to go. It's almost five and we need to get ready for tonight.

Edward got up and brushed snow off of himself. He then went over to Emmett's side – who had a pout plastered on his face, sad about us winning – and patted him on the back.

We all began to walk down the path that led to the edge of the park. It was getting dark out, the sun was already setting and it was a little bit chillier. I couldn't wait to get back to the house and get warmed up. I especially couldn't wait for the Christmas party of ours. It was only going to be us, but nonetheless, it was still a party. I had a good feeling that it was going to be amazing.

"Alice, can you please tell me the purpose of curling my hair, when it's already naturally curly?" I asked. Alice was being ridiculous. It's already been forty-five minutes and she is almost done curling my hair.

"I'm not technically curling your hair." She stopped talking to finish the last part of my hair that wasn't curled. "I'm actually making nice waves. There is a complete difference."

"Fine. But it was completely unnecessary! I could have gotten ready myself, you know."

"You could have, but you would have just worn something casual. It's Christmas! It's time to primp, not that you really need it. You're already gorgeous."

I blushed at that. I knew she was just being nice and giving me confidence. Seriously, Alice was the gorgeous one and I was the average one.

"There, your hair is done! And might I add that it looks fantastic? Now I'm going to apply some makeup. I won't put on a lot. In fact, I'll make it look like it's all natural."

I groaned. "I don't need makeup, Al. It's too much effort anyway."

"Bella if you don't stop complaining I will tie you down to this chair and dress you up myself!"

I shut up then. I knew Alice wasn't joking.

She began to apply a little eye shadow to my eyes and some mascara. She contemplated on putting on blush but then remembered that I already blush crimson naturally. She then got out some light pink lip-gloss and put it on my lips. When she finished the makeup she put on felt very light. It felt like I didn't have too much on, which was the way I liked it.

Alice then put her makeup away and skipped to her closet. I was amazed that she managed to fit all of her clothes in there, but Alice always found away. The sound of hangers scraping the rack was annoying. She then stopped and paused to look at something. She smiled and took it off the hanger.

"Okay, Bella. This is the dress I brought for you. I personally chose it for you in Chicago so don't object. It's pretty and on you it will look amazing."

She turned around and revealed a turquoise blue dress that looked like it would go just above my knees. It had puff sleeves and had a string that tied a bow under the bust. It was stunning.

"Alice, wow." Was all I was able to say.

"It's great, I know! Now, go put it on." She ordered. She put the dress in my arms and turned me around and pushed me to the bathroom. "Now, do not look in the mirror. I already covered it with paper and such."

"Okay, okay. Let me change!" She giggled and I closed the door.

I slipped out of the clothes I was wearing and pulled on the dress. The material felt a bit cool on my skin, but I didn't mind too much. I felt the dress between my fingers and noticed how sleek it was. It must have been completely made of silk. I didn't even want to think of the price of this dress so I walked out of the bathroom and into Alice's room. She turned around and a huge smiled formed on her lips.

"So, what do you think?" I said while twirling around to give her a full view.

"I think," She paused and walked right up to me and hugged me. "I think you look stunning! I also think you should look in the mirror."

I was about to protest but she already made me face the mirror. My eyes grew wide and my breath caught. Was that really me in the mirror? I had relaxed waves and soft looking hair. My makeup was very subtle and I could barely tell I had any on. And the dress . . . whoa. It was gorgeous. It hung nicely on me and the color looked great.

When I turned towards Alice I saw that she wiped an imaginary tear away from her cheek. I chuckled and gave her a hug.

"Thanks so much, Alice." When I let go of her, I noticed that she was already dressed. Dress, hair and makeup. "Wow you get changed fast."

"For reason being that I am a pro at this. Besides that, do you like it?" She twirled around and strutted across her room like she was on the catwalk.

Her dress was very pretty. It was a beautiful evergreen dress with black lace on the hem and under the bust. It was a sweetheart design and Alice looked amazing in it.

"I do like it. Alice, you fantastic!"

"Not as fantastic as you. It's time to go downstairs, ready?"

"Remind me why I let you dress me up like this? I'm just going to make a fool of myself."

"Uh, no you're not! And it's too late, dinner's probably ready by now." She stepped beside me and linked her arm through mine. "Now, let's go." I groaned and she started to drag me to the stairs.

When we got to the end of the stairs she pulled me to the dining table, where everyone was already seated. She sat me down at my place beside Edward and went to her seat. The food smelled delicious. There was turkey, salad, pasta, mashed potatoes and rice. The amounts of each plate were enormous. I didn't even know how we could consume this all.

"Now that we are all here," Carlisle started. "Let's all say a small prayer before we eat. Everyone please hold hands."

We all held each other's hand. My right hand held in Emmett's and the other in Edwards.

"Lord, we are very thankful to have such a wonderful meal on such a wonderful day. We are happy to spend this Christmas with our families and our friends. We all hope for many more years with such joy and love. Amen." We all let go of our hands and stared at the food.

Emmett cleared his throat. "Now, let's eat!" he said. We all laughed and dug in.

We all sat by the Christmas tree, each with a pile of our presents beside us. Alice was smart to have thought of organizing the gifts this way. It made it very simple to open. We opened them at the same time and after each ripped paper I either her someone gasp or "awe" and then say thank you to the person who gave it to them.

I opened mine carefully, and read each card thoroughly. So far I had gotten a scrapbook from Renee and Charlie, a camera from Esme and Carlisle, a curling iron from Alice and a big teddy bear from Emmett. The teddy bear sort of reminded me of him in a way. I started to gather my things when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw Edward.

"Hey, did you like my gift?" I asked him. I had gotten him a journal for him to write his compositions. I knew he loved playing the piano and composed some songs of his own. I got the journal specially made for him.

"I love it. Thanks so much!" He hugged me and I smiled. "Oh and here's my gift for you." He placed it in my hands and motioned for me to open it.

It was a very thin present. I didn't mind the size, anything he got me was automatically wonderful. I ripped off the wrapping paper and paused to see what it was. It was a CD. On the cover it had the words "Bella's Music." I looked at the back of the case and saw plenty of names from "Her Blush" and "Bad Liar" I laughed at the "Bad Liar" name.

"Those are all of the songs I wrote that you inspired. I even made you a lullaby." I looked up at him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you. This is the best present anyone has ever given to me." I smiled at him and blushed. He smiled his crooked grin at me.

I then noticed something hanging over top of us. It was mistletoe. I stared at it confused and so was Edward. I turned my head and saw Emmett and Alice smiling widely. They just stood there, not moving.

"You know what they say when to people stand under mistletoe . . ." Emmett hinted. Alice just nodded her head.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"You know what."

"Um this is a little weird don't you think? You can't expect us to –" I was cut off when I felt something warm on my lips.

Edward crushed his lips to mine and put one hand on my face and the other on my waist. I put my hands on his shoulders and closed my eyes. I sensed a flash from a camera from beside me but I didn't really pay attention. Edward then got out of the kiss and looked me in the eyes. His eyes were twinkling and I felt my cheeks heat up.

Alice and Emmett had already left the room and we were the only ones left. We just stood there, his hand on my waist and cheek and my hands on his shoulders.

"Merry Christmas, Bella." He said.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Edward."

He smiled at me before he let go and left the room. I smiled back and just stood there. Even after our kiss, I still felt tingles on my lips and where he had touched me. I suddenly felt a new appreciation for mistletoe.

* * *

**I'm so sorry that it took me awhile to update. I was just super busy and not to mention this chapter was very long. I had to cut into two separate chapters. The second half will be the next chapter. Anyways, please review and tell me what you think!**

**love, Karina**

**p.s: Both Alice and Bella's dresses are on my profile : )**


	4. Chapter 4

**Just friends?**

**Full Summary:** Bella and Edward have been the best of friends for as long as they can remember. Even though Bella lives in Phoenix and Edward lives in Chicago, their friendship is still strong. As they grow older they soon realize their true feelings toward each other. Friendship, romance and jealousy is what this story holds. Will love blossom between the two?

**Author's Note:** Emmett is 16, Edward and Bella are 14 and Alice is 13. The POV's from Edward and Bella

* * *

Chapter 4: Shopping for Labels Or Love

**Christmas – fourteen years old (Edward's POV)**

As I walked out of the room, I felt a sort of tingling on my lips. Did Bella feel that too? Wait, I shouldn't even be thinking that way. Bella's my best friend, not my lover. I touched my lips with my fingers and I smiled. I just kissed Bella. Wow, I truly am going insane.

Not that I regretted it or anything. In fact, if I could, I would go right back into that room and press my lips to hers. Bella was my first kiss. I was planning on saving it for someone special, but what could be more special than having your first kiss with your best friend – who happens to be a girl – and be completely content with it.

Though I would like it better if Alice didn't take that picture of us. I'm not mental, I know she got a camera and snapped one of Bella and I under the mistletoe. I sighed and made my way to my room. It was late, and the only ones awake were Bella, Alice and Emmett. The parents had gone to bed two hours before I decided to.

Once I got into bed I turned on the light that stood on my night table before pulling the covers over me. I brought all of the gifts I had gotten to my room. I picked up the journal Bella had gotten for me. It was a medium sized book that had a black leather hardcover and very fine paper inside with bars for the music notes. On the front of the journal, it had Edward Anthony Cullen in scripted in a golden print. I opened the journal to find a page with no bar lines on it, but words written inside it.

_Dearest Eddie,_

_Wow, this is the tenth Christmas we have spent together. Also, the tenth year our friendship has prolonged. I know that in the New Year – and many years to come – that you and I will still be the best of best friends, and that is just amazing. Anyway, before I make this too long and make it sound like some sappy love letter, I'll end it by saying Merry Christmas!_

_Love Always, Bells._

As I read her note, I couldn't help but smile at it the whole time. Bella and I are going to be best friends for a very long time that was for sure. I would be there for her whenever she needed me. I would even be there when she went off with a boy she fell in love with. However, I felt a sort of jealousy when I thought of her falling in love with someone else. Hold on, does that mean I love Bella?

I glanced at the clock and it read 1:02 in the morning. It's so late; I must be just imagining I'm in love Bella because I'm so tired. I think.

* * *

**Boxing Day – fourteen years old (Bella's POV)**

You'd think that after a long night that Alice would allow you to have some sleep, but no. Especially not when we are going shopping. I'll repeat myself, I no longer hate shopping and sometimes it is rather enjoyable. However, when shopping takes time out of my need sleep, then there is going to be stubbornness.

"Bella, if you do not wake up this instant I will bring in a bucket of snow and dump it on you. Don't think I'm joking, because I'm not. I have a bucket with me right now." Alice said.

I opened my eyes slowly and sure enough in Alice's hand there was a bucket. I groaned and pulled off the covers over me, feeling my legs cool a bit.

"I'm up, I'm up! Don't need to be so melodramatic, Al."

"If I wasn't, you wouldn't be up." I sighed. She was right. "So now that you are awake, go get ready. I'll leave your outfit for the day on your bed."

Alice walked over to my closet and opened it. I saw that she was already changed and ready to go. She began rummaging through my clothes and I went to the bathroom to take a shower.

The hot water felt very soothing against my skin. It was exactly what I needed to wake me up. The smell of my shampoo loosened the tense muscles I had, helping me relax. I could have stayed in the shower all day if I wanted but I couldn't for reasons being that I would shrivel into a prune and Alice would go ballistic. I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around me.

After brushing my teeth and brushing my hair, I went to my room to put on the clothes Alice chose for me. I was still wrapped in my towel and I was getting a little cold. I slipped on the jeans and the flowy pink shirt and then ran to the full-length mirror to see how I looked. I liked the jeans, but the shirt wasn't really getting to me. It was a pretty shirt, but I just wasn't in the mood to be so . . . girly?

I went to my closet to look for something. I found what I was looking for: a grey tank with lace trimmed at the top and on the straps, and a green and white striped sweater. I pulled off the pink shirt and put on the tank top and sweater. I then slipped on a pair of my dark brown Ugg boots over my jeans and then ran back to the mirror.

I viewed how I looked from the front and the back. I actually didn't look bad, I looked good, if I do say so myself. I sighed and went downstairs.

When I got to the dining room Alice, Emmett and Edward were already sitting there. The food was placed in the center of the table and it looked delicious. Emmett was eyeing it, obviously getting impatient and wanted to eat. Edward saw me come in first; he smiled at me and waved. Alice turned around on her seat and her mouth fell.

"Now, Alice. I know you laid out my outfit and everything but the whole flowy shirt wasn't working for me today. Not that I didn't like the shirt, it was cute. But I was just in the mood to wear something not so um, girly."

I smiled sheepishly at her, waiting for her response. She just sat there eyeing my outfit.

"Al, say something." I said.

Alice got up from her chair and started to walk towards me. I was afraid she was going to explode in anger. I was prepared for the worst. When she was in front of me, she didn't yell, she smiled at me.

"Bella, I love what you are wearing! Not too primped, not too baggy. It's so chill. It's so you, this is your style! Now I know what we have to look for in the mall for you." She hugged me and I hugged her back. When she let go, she looked at my boots. "The Uggs were a nice touch."

"Thanks." I simply stated.

She walked back to her seat and I walked over to mine. As I sat down, I saw that Emmett was still eyeing the food.

"You know, you can eat now, Emmett." I said.

"Oh, thank God! I'm starving!" Emmett yelled. He grabbed some of the scrambled eggs and ham before reaching over to get some toast. I swear, his stomach must be like a bottomless hole.

Edward, Alice and I laughed softly after Emmett began to scarf down his breakfast. We all grabbed some food and put it on our plate. I was about to get some toast when mine and Edward's hands bumped into each other. Usually we would have laughed at this and just let it go but this time it was . . . different. When our hands collided I felt the part of my hand he touched tingle. It wasn't an irritating feeling, more sensational rather than anything else. How weird.

I just smiled awkwardly at Edward and pulled back my hand. He did the same, also smiling awkwardly.

"Go ahead." He gestured with his hand. I smiled, more genuine this time, and took some toast. I grabbed the strawberry jam and began to spread it. I looked up at Edward to see that he was staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, um nothing." He stammered. "It's just that you really do look nice today, Bella."

I blushed. "Thanks."

He chuckled and then started to spread cream cheese on his toast. I got up from my chair and went to the kitchen to clean my plate. Alice was finished too so she went with me. I looked back one more time to see Emmett still getting more food. I chuckled and then left the room.

Alice and I were at the sink, cleaning our dishes. It was silent. Not the awkward silence or the angry silence or even the depressed silence. It was the I-want-answers-now silence. I sighed and put my plate and glass in the rack for it to dry. Alice did the same and then stared me down.

"Okay." I breathed. "What do you want to know, Alice?"

"Not too much. I just want to know what's going on between you and my brother."

"Nothing is going on. We're best friends, that's all."

She glared at me and then huffed. "Don't use the 'we're just friends' line on me, Bella." She walked over to the kitchen counter and then jumped on the top to sit down. "How about I ask you simple questions and you just answer them?"

"Alright. Shoot."

"What was with that kiss last night? It was pretty genuine."

"Well, first off there was mistletoe hanging over us. And then you two," I glared at Alice. "Probably wouldn't leave us alone until we um . . . you know. So Edward just leaned in and got it over with."

"Yeah but he could have just kissed you on the cheek. Why did he do lips?"

"Technically, I can't answer that question seeing as how I don't know why Edward kissed me on the lips rather than on the cheek. You'll have to ask him that."

"Oh, I will." She smiled evilly. I groaned "Did you enjoy the kiss though?"

"Well . . . I don't know . . . um . . ." I looked around hoping to find something to change the subject. "Oh hey look, there's still some of the ginger bread house left!"

"Don't change the subject." Alice darted.

I sighed, loudly. "Okay, fine! Yes, I did like it." I confessed.

She squealed and I covered my ears. "This is the last question, I promise." I waited for her to continue. "Do you like Edward in that way?"

I couldn't answer her question straight up. Reasons being that I'm not completely sure. "I don't know." I said, looking at the floor.

Alice jumped off from the kitchen counter and hugged me. She then put her arm around my shoulder and began to direct me to the dining room. "Now. Let's go shopping!"

I chuckled and we walked over to get Edward and Emmett for our shopping trip.

* * *

The ride from the house to Chinook mall took around twenty minutes. Alice was becoming very impatient and Emmett was just taunting her by saying how long it was going to be until we arrived. The only normal ones in the car were Edward, me and the taxi driver. Our moms and dads had driven to go to Banff earlier this morning and wouldn't be coming back until New Year's Eve. Which was fine by us, we were old enough to take care of ourselves for a few days.

Once the taxi pulled over by the entrance of the mall, Alice shot out of the car and Emmett followed her. Edward paid the taxi driver and held my hand as we go out. The feeling when he touched me was suddenly there again, I couldn't thoroughly explain it.

We all entered the mall together. It was a fairly large mall, but not quite as big as the ones in Phoenix and Chicago. On all the store windows had a sign that said, 'Boxing Day Sale', Alice just about fainted. The mall was packed with people; there were lines outside of the stores. It was like Christmas shopping all over again.

"Okay, which store do we go to first?" I asked.

Alice just scanned the large hallway and a smile formed on her lips. "Let's go to Aldo, I haven't been there in a while." She pulled on my hand, my other hand still held on to Edward's hand so he was pulled as well.

"Hey, wait for me!" Emmett yelled. We were already at the store when he caught up to us. "Thanks for letting me know you were going to go into a store."

"Nothing can stop Alice when she's in her shopping mode, Em." I said.

"You'd think that after ten years that he would have learned by now." Edward teased.

"Ha ha." Emmett said, and lightly pushed his shoulder. Edward chuckled and pushed him back.

I left them to fight nicely and marched over towards Alice. She held a pair of ice colored suede boots in her hand. It had a wedged heel and a nice fold-over on the top. She began putting them on, over her jeans and then walked up to look in the mirror.

"Those look really good, Al." I commented.

"Thanks, I think so to. Should I get them?"

"Well, what's the price?"

"With the 70% of sale, around eight-nine dollars."

"That's not bad at all. Get them, they really do look great on you."

She was already taking them off and placing them nicely back in the box. She then stood up and closed it.

"I will. Did you find anything?"

"No, not yet."

I then turned my head to see a pair of black flats that had straps to tie around the ankle. I walked over to it and checked the size. It was my size, so I slipped it on. It was comfortable and I liked how it looked.

"Wow, Bella. That's so cute. You know, I'm really starting to like the shopper within you. I have taught you well." She joked.

"Thanks, Alice."

I took off the shoe to look at the price. My face fell into a frown. Even with the sale it was still expensive. Alice took the shoe from my hand and looked at the price. I just stared at the floor.

"It's that what you're worried about? The price?" I just nodded. "Oh, well then I'll buy it for you!"

My head shot up. She was already walking towards the cashier counter. I ran up to her just before she stepped in line.

"Alice, you can't buy that for me. It's too expensive!"

"Bella relax. It's just a pair of flats. Well, really cute flats. Did I mention how proud I am of your new fashion sense?" I just glared at her. "I'm paying for it, Bells. You can't stop me."

"Okay fine, Al. But this is the only thing you're buying for me, okay?"

"I can't make a complete promise. But I'll try.

I just nodded my head, knowing that was the best I could get. We both stepped in line and waited for what seemed like forever. The line was very long and each person had at least two or more pairs of shoes in their hands. I sighed, Alice just laughed.

When we – or rather, when Alice paid – we met Edward and Emmett who were waiting outside the store fro us. They already had a shopping bag in their hands, both from Buffalo.

As we started walking around the mall, I noticed that whenever a girl our age passed by us and checked out Edward, he pulled me closer to him and put his arm over my shoulder. What was even weirder was when a boy passed by us and simply smiled at me that Edward held me by the waist. I wouldn't deny the fact that I liked that that he was doing that, I felt like he was protecting me.

At each store that we wanted to go in, we had to wait in line. The lines were not too long, but we still had to wait. Though when we entered the stores I realized why there was a line, the clothes and accessories were gorgeous. I felt like I was becoming like Alice.

It was then that I noticed how heavy the bags I was carrying were getting heavy. My arms began to hurt.

"Al, are there any other stores you want to hit? My arms are beginning to hurt like hell."

"Just one more. It's called Aritzia. One just opened in Chicago, but since there isn't one in Phoenix I want to take you there. The clothes are fantastic!"

We walked down the hallway, in search for the store. I noticed that the lines of the stores were decreasing. I looked down at my watch and saw that it was almost seven. Eventually we found the store, and the line wasn't too long.

Aritzia was a store that held women's clothing. Edward and Emmett didn't mind too much. Emmett went with Alice to make sure she didn't go crazy while browsing through the racks and Edward walked around with me.

Alice was right, the store was pretty cool. I picked up a lot of things. A pair of dark skinny jeans, a zip up hoodie and cute tee to go under it, I already made an outfit. It may not have seemed a lot, but it was to me.

I paid for my items and then Edward and me waited outside the store for Alice and Emmett to come out. We sat on the bench and I put all of the bags beside me. My arms felt relieved and I sighed happily. Edward laughed softly and I turned my head, only to see his gorgeous emerald green eyes. I turned my head away quickly and blushed.

"Well," He started. "My arms are sore. I'm guessing yours are too?"

"Sore is just an understatement. I feel like my arms are going to fall off and that my hands will forever be in the position of fists." I held up my hand to show him. He chuckled and took my hand in his. I smiled widely. "How long do you think Alice will be in that store for?"

"There is no time limit on Alice when she shops. However, she'll probably be there for a while. When Aritzia had its grand opening in Chicago, we stayed there for hours. I was holding a mountain of clothes and it seemed to be getting taller."

"Dang, then she'll be there longer with the sales going on." I sighed and shook my head.

Then Edward's cell phone rang. It vibrated and he flipped the phone open. The caller ID said 'Alice'.

"Hey, Al, what's up? . . . For how long? . . . Okay, if you're sure then we'll see you later . . . Alright, bye." He shut the phone and put it back in his pocket.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Alice said she's waiting in line. But apparently the line is so long that it will take almost an hour until she gets to pay. She told me we could walk around until she was finished."

"What about Emmett?"

"Like I said," He started to get up, he helped me up as well. "Alice gets so many clothes at this store. Emmett's carrying them. Which is good, with his size. If Emmett wasn't here it would be both you and me carrying her purchases."

"That's not much of a surprise," I joked. "So, where do you want to go first?"

"No where in particular. Let's just walk around."

I nodded my head and we began to walk. I brought my camera with me so we took pictures with the time capsule, the carousel and even the full-scale model of an Albertosaurus. When I looked at the pictures of Edward and I, I felt so . . . plain compared to him. The only thing that didn't make me crop myself out of the picture was that each of the pictures either had us holding hands or his arm around my waste.

We went on the carousel together. When Edward got on his horse, he did it without effort. I on the other hand had a more difficult time. It took me at least six times; five failures and one correction. Each time Edward laughed at my struggling. After I got on my horse and the carousel began, Edward and I laughed. With my camera I took pictures of him and he took pictures of me.

When we got back to Aritzia, Emmett and Alice were just coming out. Alice having four huge bags in her hands and Emmett holding her other bags.

"You got that much out of one store?" I said obliviously.

"Of course, it's Aritzia! It's like my all time favorite store. But I only saw you carry one bag when you left the store, it wasn't even filled! So I took the liberty of buying you some more stuff." She smiled.

"You what?! Alice I hope you didn't spend too much on me."

"Not really, two of these bags are for you." My jaw dropped. "Now don't object because these were on sale!"

"Okay fine. Thanks, Al. I really appreciate it, I just don't feel right when people pay for me."

"We know." Alice, Emmett and Edward answered at the same time.

We all laughed and began walking towards the exit of the mall. I took out my cell phone, it was already 9 o'clock. The mall was beginning to close. Lots of people were also leaving and had their hands full of bags. Though nothing compared to the bags that we four carried.

We waited outside and it was a little bit chilly. I could see our breaths as we talked. We waited for a taxi and it seemed to take a while, so we set our bags down and just leaned against the wall.

"Em, for the last time. Leona Lewis is from London." Edward said.

"Then how do you expect that when she sings she doesn't have an accent?" Emmett challenged.

"Most singers with accents sound like they have an American accent when they sing. If you don't believe me, then search on the internet."

"This is like the Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus thing all over again." I said. Everyone laughed and Emmett just huffed.

"Anyways," Emmett said. "You never did tell us about your kiss last night? How was it?" Alice just laughed.

"Well, uh." What was I going to say, '_Yes Emmett, I enjoyed it. Edward is an amazing kisser' _? I don't think so. "It was uh . . ."

"Hey look, the taxi's here!" Edward called. Edward was a life saver, I was sure he felt just as awkward answering Emmett's question as much as I was.

We all got in the car and filled the trunk with our shopping bags. The trunk almost didn't close, but with Emmett's strength, it was able to. On the ride back, Emmett and Alice always tried to bring the kiss conversation back up. However, Edward and I would always just switch subjects or just act like we didn't hear them.

When we got back to the house, we all brought the bags upstairs to our rooms to put them away. Emmett and Edward didn't take too long so they came and helped me. It took an hour to put my things away. We then went over to Alice's room to help her. When we got there, she wasn't even half way done. She had bought that much.

It took almost two hours to finish organizing Alice's purchases. It would have gone by much faster but Emmett kept on playing with her clothes and Edward had to control him. Sometimes I'm embarrassed to be Emmett's sister, but I still love him.

"Well I'm going to go to bed, see you guys in the morning." Edward said.

"Yeah me too," I breathed. "All this shopping completely wiped me out."

Emmett and Alice said their goodnights to us as we left the room.

* * *

After my shower I went over to my desk and pulled out my diary. I found a pen next to me and began to write.

_Dear Diary,_

_Last night Emmett and Alice made Edward and me kiss since we were under the mistletoe, so we did. The normal response would be that I wasn't phased at all that I had kissed my best friend. Except that I can't keep the kiss out of my mind and every time Edward is near me I feel so warm inside. And when he touches me, I get this sort of tingly feeling. I'm confused because I don't know if this is just a phase that happens to a girl who is best friends with a guy, or that I have a crush on him. What's wrong with me?_

_Sincerely, Bella._

_P.S – he is an amazing kisser . . . not that I care or anything._

I closed my diary and hid it between my mattress and the bed board. I turned on the CD of Edward's compositions and went to my bed to lay down. When it came to the track, _Bella's Lullaby_, I felt my eyelids close and sleep overwhelm me.

* * *

**Sorry it took awhile for me to put this up. It was already written, I just didn't exactly have time to post it. But here it is! Also, I know that it's not the longest of chapters, it was kind of a filler for future chapters. It will all make sense in time! Anyways, review please : )**

**AND Bella's Outfit and the shoes Alice and Bella got are on my profile!**

**For those of you who don't know what an Albertosaurus is, it's a dinosaur. lol.**

**Anyways, I'll try to update as soon as I can.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Just friends?**

**Full Summary:** Bella and Edward have been the best of friends for as long as they can remember. Even though Bella lives in Phoenix and Edward lives in Chicago, their friendship is still strong. As they grow older they soon realize their true feelings toward each other. Friendship, romance and jealousy is what this story holds. Will love blossom between the two?

**Author's Note:** Emmett is 17, Edward and Bella are 15 and Alice is 14. The POV's from Bella and Edward.

* * *

Chapter 5: Inspiration To Play The Guitar

**January – fifteen years old (Bella's POV)**

"Admit it Bella," Rosalie said. "You like him."

I looked up from my chocolate milkshake to see Rosalie eyeing me with her beautiful ice-blue eyes. Her golden-blonde hair was soft and shining in the light. Her skin was absolutely flawless, just like everything about her. Not saying that I didn't like her though, because I do. She's one of my best friends.

"Like who?" I asked dubiously.

"Don't play that game with me, Bells. You know who I'm talking about."

"Um, Chace Crawford?" Rosalie just glared at me, I laughed and sipped some more of my milkshake.

"Edward, Bella! Admit you like Edward!" She said, a little too loudly. We looked around the café to see that everyone was looking at us. Rosalie just sipped on her strawberry milkshake and I looked down at the table.

"I won't admit something that isn't true, Rose. I mean yeah, I like Edward. Just as a friend." I said, still looking at the table.

"Please! Ever since he left after your fifteenth birthday all you've actually done besides hang with me and your family is fidget with that necklace of yours," She pointed at the green jewel hanging on my neck. "You listen to his music all the time . . . don't think I haven't heard you listening to it because I know you are."

I huffed and slouched in my chair, waiting for her to continue.

"And lastly, you talk to him on the phone for who knows how long? Emmett or I or even both of us have to use the force in order to get you to freaking hang up!"

I couldn't really deny what she just said, because I was doing those things. I couldn't even freaking lie because I was completely incapable of lying. I sighed. Damn.

"Okay, so maybe I have been doing those things. But it's because I miss him. He's my best friend, Rose. I've known him since I was four."

"Yeah, yeah. That's what you say all the time. I usually just let you sulk and then in a week you're back to normal and put it through your brain that you'll see him again. But now, it's different."

"Different as in how?" I asked, leaning on the table and resting my chin on my hands.

"It's just, that Christmas when you went to Calgary, you were so sad when you came back. I mean when you were with me we had a whole bunch of fun but when Edward called you would be over the top joyful and when he hung up . . . ouch, Bells. It hurt to watch." Rosalie sighed and sank in her chair.

"Rose, that Christmas was almost two years ago. It was that past, not the present." I told her.

"I wasn't finished yet." She said bluntly. I shut my mouth and she began to speak again. "Like I was saying. It's the middle of January and you're still sad. It's been a month! I care about you, Bella. It makes me so sad when you aren't happy. The only reason I can come up with why you are so sad is that you like him. If you liked him as a friend you wouldn't be so sad for this long."

I waited a few moments before answering her. Should I tell her what happened that Christmas when we went to Calgary? No not yet, I'll give it some time. I sipped some more of my milkshake and stared at the straw.

"You're right," I whispered. "I do like him, in that way."

I was still looking at my straw and I heard Rose squealing from her seat. I looked up to see her getting out of her side of the booth and run to my side. She pulled me to an embrace, still squealing. I didn't know what to do so I just patted her nicely on the back. Rosalie then shut up and walked over to her seat and sat down nicely. I eyed her, waiting for her to just explode again.

Nothing happened, just her smiling at me with her brilliant teeth. I started to feel self-conscious so I looked down again. Rosalie giggled softly and reached over the table to put her hand on mine. I sighed and brought my gaze back up. Rosalie let go of my hand and then looked at the clock.

"Oh, wow. It's already 5:30? Where'd the time go?" Rosalie said while gathering her things.

I began to get myself ready too and then stood up. "Yeah time sure does fly when you're harassing someone." I joked.

"Ha ha. Anyways, I'll call you later and you're going to tell me all about your crush on Edward. Emmett's picking me up at 7 so I'll probably call you around 10, is that okay?"

"Yeah that's cool. Except for me telling you about my 'crush' on Edward. And I still can't believe you and my brother are going out! Bleh."

"Oh it's just because you live with him that you find him kind of weird. But I see him in a whole different way."

"Uh, please don't talk about how you see Emmett in your way. I'd rather not puke." I shuddered.

She chuckled and gave me a hug. "I'll call you! See you later!" She said. Rose started to walk home.

"Alright!" I yelled. I began to walk home too, which was opposite of Rosalie's from the diner.

The sun was still out and it was a little cooler since it was only January. I didn't mind though, this was my perfect weather. I thought about what Rosalie said. She was right about the way I was acting, nothing wrong there. But I questioned if I actually liked Edward. I remember saying how I told Rosalie I did, and how relieved I felt to tell someone that. Okay, so I have a crush on Edward. But who wouldn't? He was gorgeous and had a wonderful personality. My God, I sound like such a fan girl.

But it was true. Edward was pretty much the ideal guy. Too bad he was my best friend, and he probably only saw me as his friend. I sighed loudly

_It's just a crush._ I said to myself._ It's not like he's you're one and only love. The attraction will pass._

As much as I said that to myself, I still had a lot trouble believing it.

* * *

**January – fifteen years old (Edward's POV)**

About two days ago I had been expelled from my school for reasons that shouldn't be said aloud. I'll be vague and say that I might have "accidentally" poured bleach into someone's gym bag and not realizing it didn't even belong to a student, that's all I'll say. In my defense, who would think of leaving a gym bag in the halls and not think it would be corrupted in the end? And they call themselves teachers . . .

I sighed. Esme and Carlisle were giving me the lecture of their lives. Talking about how this would show up on my permanent record and the importance of maturity and responsibility. Jeez, you'd think I was eleven and my parents were giving me 'the talk.' Warning, try to avoid the talk when your father is a doctor.

"Edward Anthony Cullen. I still can't believe you did that! I never would have thought it, it just does not seem like you at all. Edward honey, is there something you want to talk about?" Esme rambled.

"Mom, there is nothing to talk about. I bleached someone's gym bag, big deal. It's not like I have to court for it."

Carlisle began to speak, "No you don't have to go to court. But you didn't just bleach anyone's gym bag, you bleached your principal's gym bag!" I was going to retort but Carlisle stopped me. "Your principle still has authority over you. And apparently this isn't your only scandal at your school."

Esme began to open a piece of yellow paper. She stopped and them gave me a stern look before handing it to me.

"What is this?" I asked. I stared at the yellow paper, not reading the fine black print on it.

"Just read it." Esme said. "Out loud."

I sighed, making it louder to show my annoyance. "Edward Anthony Cullen has done such, furthering the reason of expulsion: never obeys school rules, has started serious fist fights, cheated on tests . . . tests! Only one, they don't have to use the plural. It's not my fault if I'm a genius when I want to be."

"Continue, please." Carlisle said bluntly.

"Fine. Intruded on school events such as both senior and junior proms at which both he and others had used to shoot paint at everyone, skipped classes to go to music room . . ." The list went on and on. I kept on reading them aloud while I felt Carlisle and Esme's horrified stares bore onto me. " . . . And lastly, has poured an over amount of bleach into Principal Shortland's gym bag."

I folded the paper and handed it back to Esme. I could tell she was shocked. Hell, I was shocked I had done all of those things after reading it all. I couldn't even deny I had done those because it would be stupid to not tell the truth when I was already in so much shit. And if they caught me I would be in even bigger shit. So I just dropped my head, my eyes staring at my hands.

"Well young man," Carlisle began. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry. I never realized the consequences of what my actions would become. I wouldn't defy any punishment you decide to give me."

"That sounds like the Edward I know. The one who always faces his consequences head first and is very mature about it. But this Edward," Esme began to hold up the yellow piece of paper. "That Edward is a complete stranger to me. I don't understand him."

"To tell you the truth, neither do I." I whispered.

That was the truth at least. It was true that I didn't understand that whole different me who pulled stuff like that. I would be lying if I said I only joined those wild kids I call my friends because I wanted to fit in. That would be completely out of place and it wouldn't sound like me. I knew the reason why I did those things and I wasn't going to tell my parents that.

I ran my fingers through my hair and then put my elbows on my knees. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something good, something different than what happened. I thought I was going to see a meadow or a beach but instead I saw Bella. I've been seeing her in my mind often, she helped calm me down and bring me back to my normal self.

I smiled and then opened my eyes. I looked back up to see that Carlisle and Esme were sitting up straight, with faces anything but sympathetic. They made a decision for my punishment.

"So, what'll it be?" I asked, breathing out as I said it.

"We don't know if you'll really be able to take it in, Edward. But in any case we can't sign you up for any school that won't be too far away from our home. If we did, we can't guarantee a good education and life style. So your mother and I have decided to send you to Phoenix. We already talked to Renee and Charlie before our discussion and they've complied." Carlisle held my mother's hand and squeezed it.

"So what are you saying? That I just go to Phoenix?"

"No, dear," Esme corrected. "We're saying that we're sending you to live with Charlie, Renee, Emmett and Bella. The Swan's are a great family friend and will do anything to help us. You'll be going to the same school as Emmett and Bella."

I just sat there, my eyes wide. I'll be living in Phoenix . . . with Bella. Honestly, I didn't see this as a punishment. I saw it more as a reward. Like since I've just been expelled, I've been given the reward to live with my best friend. How amazing is that? Well, it's too amazing to tell my parents. If they knew I was happy with this they would change this punishment. That can't happen.

"So how long am I going to be staying there for?"

Esme looked and Carlisle warily. She sighed and then brought her gaze back to me. "You'll be staying there until the end of August. We'll be spending the summer there so it only makes sense for you to stay during the two months as well. If we weren't going to Phoenix then you would be coming back in June. But our decision makes more sense since we'll be spending the holidays together."

"So you mean I'll be staying there for almost eight months?!" Esme looked down and Carlisle rubbed her back. "That's long . . ." the longer with Bella, the better. "But I'll still see you so it will be okay."

I knew this was hard for Carlisle and Esme. It was harder for Esme especially. But I knew Carlisle wanted what was best for me and so did Esme so this probably sounded like the most reasonable punishment.

I stood up from my seat on the sofa and walked over to hug my parents. I didn't want them to feel bad about my actions. Heck, if anyone should be feeling bad, it should be me. I stepped back so I could look them in the eyes.

"So when do I leave?" I asked.

"In five days, so you'll be taking a flight on Friday." He paused and put his hand on my shoulders. "I would be say 'go pack' but Alice is kind of already doing it. You should talk to her, she's really sad that you're leaving."

I nodded and he took his hand off of my shoulders. I left my parents in the living room and made my way to the stairs. I didn't want to run up the stairs, I was in no rush. I needed to think for a little bit, this would probably be the only time I would be alone before I leaved. Thank God that we have three flights of stairs that are each a long length.

I dug my hands into my pockets when I was outside my bedroom door. I could hear rustling, zippers zipping and sniffling. I knocked on my door. There was no response. So I knocked again. Then the door swung open and there stood my little pixie of a sister.

"You don't have to knock, it's your room after all." She said, looking at the floor.

I could see that she was trying to hide the fact that she was crying. It was very rare for her to cry, she was usually happy and had a smile on her face. When Alice cries, you know that she is very truly sad about something. I suddenly felt very guilty.

"Alice, don't cry. I'm not leaving until Friday." I said.

"So what? You're leaving nonetheless. I won't be seeing you for eight months, Edward! Do you know how much I'll miss you?"

She brought her head up and I saw her teary red-puffed eyes. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she had a frown plastered on her face. She sobbed and brought her hands to her face. I engulfed her in a hug and patted her back. It killed me to see her that way. No matter if she was annoying at times and was too giddy for her own good, she was still my sister. I cared for her.

"It will be okay, Al. Call me and I'll always answer. It's not like I'm going to ignore you, I would miss you too." I was still hugging her and she just stayed silent.

"I know why you did all of those things." She said.

I got out of our hug and put my hands on her shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"I know the reason behind all of your defiance to stay responsible in school." I just stared at her, bewildered. "You did all of those things because you were sad that you haven't seen Bella in almost a month. You usually act different after a visit, but you get back to normal. But you've never done things to such extremes like this."

How did Alice know this? Stupid question, Alice knows everything.

"So maybe I'm dealing with the case of I-miss-you. But how could I not? Bella's my best friend."

She just sighed and shook her head. "You're not getting my point."

"And your point is?"

"My point is that you are acting so differently now because you like her. Now don't be saying, 'Yeah I like her, but only as a friend' because that is a load of crap, Edward. I know things, so don't try to make up stories."

I looked at my feet. Was Alice right? I mean I can't deny the fact that I've noticed a different kind of attraction whenever Bella is around, and when she's not with me I felt so lonely, empty almost. Well, I just answered my own question. But wouldn't it be weird? Liking your best friend? Well it would pass, like all crushes do.

I brought my eyes back up and looked over Alice. I saw that all my bags were packed with my things, and five pairs of clothes on my bed for the day's left I had here. I walked past her and sat on my bed, staring at the bags in front of my closet. I never knew I had so many clothes, I felt like such a girl. Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I do live with Alice after all . . .

I scanned the rest of my room and stopped to see on my desk was all of the stuff Bella had given me. And the bulletin above the desk had picture frames and the drawing she gave me when we were ten. Why hadn't Alice packed this? She packed just about everything but my pillows and bed covers.

I gave Alice a questioning look. She walked over to the bed and sat beside me.

"I thought you would want to pack that yourself. You always get so furious when someone lays one finger on it. You even give mom hell for it. I left a duffel bag on the chair for you to pack it, and inside is bubble wrap for fragile things." She sighed and put her hand on my knee. "I'll go and let you pack those, I still need to do some homework. Mr. McGovern keeps on bitching at me for no reason. It was soon after that I realized what you did to him . . ." She shook her head.

"I didn't mean to make the teachers hold a grudge on you since you're my sister, Al. I hope you know that."

"Oh I do. Just promise me something, Edward," She said just as she stopped at the door. "Promise me that you will never do anything like that again, nothing worse either. It all hurts us to see you expelled. You of all people! It hurts this family to send you away as your punishment. Can you do that for me? For this family?"

"I'll try, Alice. For both my sake and yours. I can't tell what my future holds for me. You've always been very good at telling what might happen. So what do you think? Will I be able to stick to the straight and narrow?"

She closed her eyes, trying to think of what my outcome was. Alice was extraordinary at predicting things that she could almost be a psychic. But she sometimes has the times when she doesn't get it right. Alice opened her eyes again and smiled subtly.

"I think you will be okay. You're a good guy, Edward. It's just one of those times that you make a big mistake."

"Then I guess I'll be my normal self again." I chuckled. She just smiled and left.

I stared at the door, my eyes focusing on nothing really interesting. Just what Alice had said to me. For a fourteen year-old, she was quite smart. I stood up and made my way to my desk.

I began to put all of the things that showed Bella's friendship and mine into the bag. I first put in the picture frames, wrapping them nicely with the bubble wrap. Then went in the drawing and the Christmas and Birthday cards.

Before I packed the journal, I flipped through it. Once it was filled with clean, fine paper filled with music bars, now the bars held a plethora of notes and lyrics. I noticed as I was reading the lyrics and the titles of the songs that most of them were about Bella. I smiled as I read them. So much passion went into them, I was hoping to make another CD for her. Except this time it would be filled with guitar, piano and my singing instead of just plain old piano.

As soon as I was done packing the last of those things, I zipped up the duffel and placed it nicely on the floor beside my other bags. I saw my guitar case was also with my things, so I opened it and pulled the guitar out. I brought it with me as I sat down on my bed and positioned myself before I began to strum away.

I didn't know that I was singing as I was strumming some rhythm. I set the guitar on my bed and ran to get my journal and a pencil. I played the notes and sang the lyrics again before I wrote them down.

_"I'll be seeing you soon, don't walk away._

_You're my forever please let me say_

_That you are on my mind all of the time_

_And not seeing you, everyday_

_Just tears me apart._

_So let me sum it up for you._

_You're my best friend,_

_But can't we be more? . . ."_

I finished writing the first verse and then began to play it again, seeing how it sounded. The song would take a bit of time for me to finish it, but I had five days with no school, I could manage.

I began to strum on the guitar and letting the lyrics flow as I played. This song was going to be perfect, because I knew exactly whom it was about. And maybe someday, that person would hear it.

* * *

The last five days passed without consequence. With Alice at school I couldn't really do anything with someone seeing as how my friends were at school too. Carlisle was at the hospital, working his magic on all of his patients. Esme stayed at home, cleaning and cooking. I could have talked to her and helped her around the house but I felt a pang of guilt when I was around her.

Whenever she caught sight of me she would have a frown on her face and her eyes would be filled with anxiety. I knew she wanted to know what was going on with me, but in truth there wasn't anything to say. I couldn't just tell her that I did all of those things because I missed Bella. It would be weird telling her about my attraction for Bella, she might have even decided on a whole new punishment. No way in hell that was going to happen.

And it didn't happen, because now I was in the airport terminal, waiting to board my plane. My family was waiting with me. Esme had her arm wrapped around me and Alice linked her arm with mine. Carlisle was in the seat across from mine and kept on looking at me. I felt like I was under tight security.

"Flight 217 to Phoenix is now boarding." Said the attendant.

I got out of my chair as soon as Esme and Alice let go of me. I turned around to see them in tears, and Carlisle holding a sad look on his face. I looked down and sighed.

"It'll be okay," I began. "I promise that when you guys come to Phoenix that I will be fine. So please don't worry."

Esme came up and hugged me. "We know you'll be fine. If you feel the need to talk to anyone you could talk to either Renee, Charlie, Bella or Emmett. Or you could just call home."

I nodded and then Esme let go of me. Alice was the one to hug me. "Don't forget your promise, Edward. Let me know how Bella is doing okay?" She whispered.

"I always keep my promises, Al. You know that."

She sniffed and then backed away. Carlisle embraced me too, more so than Esme or Alice. He sighed and then let go of me. He put his hands on my shoulders.

"Son," He breathed. "I know that this seems like a rather, exaggerate punishment but please know that we're only doing this because we know you don't usually act this way. We all feel that you need a little break."

"Okay, dad." Was all I said to him. I started to walk toward the counter to show my passport. I turned around and called, "I'll call you when I get there!"

They waved at me and I turned back around. As soon as they checked my passport I walked down the tunnel to enter the plane. I looked for my seat and when I found it, I was glad to know that I got the window seat. I sat down and pulled out my iPod. I put the earphones in and played the music.

As soon as the third song began to play, my eyelids began to close and the music began to fade away.

*****

I woke up to the blaring sound of Mariana's Trench. I pulled out my earphones and put my iPod back in my hand carry. I rested my head on the seat and looked out the window, we were already beginning to land. I could see the city from above and that there was absolutely no snow. Wow, they're lucky.

When the plane had finally landed and I was able to retrieve my entire luggage, I went to go look for Charlie and Emmett. Those two were picking me up because Renee had work and Bella was still in school. Charlie was the chief of Police so I guess he was able to pull some strings and get off early. And Emmett just wanted to get out of school, figures.

I had to get through a massive crowd in order to get near the exit of the airport. It helped a lot with the cart full of my bags. I just kept on walking and people got out of my way. Once I got close to the doors I began to search for Charlie and Emmett.

I then saw two hands waving up in the air; I looked closer to see that it was Emmett. Whoa, he was so big I almost didn't see him. I slightly smiled as I made my way towards them. When I got there Charlie had taken my bags, even when I protested. I suddenly felt a very strong embrace.

"I missed you, Ed!" Emmett yelled. He lifted me off the ground and hugged me tighter.

"Yeah you too, Em." I began to squirm uncomfortably. "Now uh, can you let go of me? I'd like to breathe, thank you very much."

He laughed and set me on the ground. I breathed in and ran my hand through my hair. Charlie hugged me and patted me on the back.

"Nice to have you, Edward. It's always nice to see you. Though I'm sure there won't be a time where I won't see you. Seeing as you're here for most f the year anyways." He chuckled and I just smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks for letting me live with you and your family, Charlie. I really appreciate it." I shook his hand and at that we left to get into Emmett's Jeep.

The ride back to the Swan's house was anything but quiet. Emmett kept on laughing and talking while Charlie gave me the rules he gave to both Emmett and Bella. He even typed them out for me. Apparently, he made Em and Bella post it on their wall, and he wanted me to do the same.

_The following rules should be met every time. If not, there will be consequences:_

_Rule # 1: No drinking and driving._

_Rule # 2: Curfew is at 10:00 pm on Sundays to Thursdays. On Fridays and Saturdays, curfew is at midnight._

_Rule # 3: Call either Renee or Charlie to tell them where you are going. Always ask permission before you go._

_Rule # 4: No crazy parties held at the house. A party at anyone else's home is fine just as long as it doesn't get too out of hand._

_Rule # 5: Have fun, but remember these rules._

I folded the paper and put it in my pocket. I wasn't surprised that Charlie had made these rules for his children, and now that I came here to live with them that he made the same rules for me. He was chief of Police after all.

I laid my head back on the seat, the sun shown brightly through the windows of the Jeep. I could feel its warmth against my skin and I welcomed it. The snow in Chicago really made me want to curse at the weather for making it so freaking cold. It was nice to see green trees and beautifully warm, snow less land. I smiled when Bella's house came into view.

* * *

**Bella's POV**

Renee was picking me up from school. Emmett had to leave – for reasons I didn't know of – and told me that mom was going to be my ride. I coudn't wait to get my license. Then I wouldn't have to wait outside the school waiting for twenty minutes. Most of my friends had already left and the only one who was waiting with me was Rosalie, since her ride was my mom as well.

We sat on the grass, soaking up some vitamin D. It was amazingly hot. Well, it was mostly hot in Phoenix so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. I smiled and threw my head back. Rosalie laughed and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Do you want to just hang out watch a movie later?" Rosalie asked.

"Well," I said looking out in the parking lot. "Once my mom arrives we can drop off our stuff at my house. We could get dinner after the movie too. But I have to be home in time –"

"Yeah, yeah I know. So you can make it in time for curfew." Rosalie interrupted.

I laughed. "Well that, and I have tons of studying to do. Mid-terms officially suck."

I held out my full backpack just to show how much studying I had to do. I had my Biology, Calculus, English, American History and Spanish textbooks in it plus my school supplies and notes. Add that all together equals the weight of a humungous bowling ball. I put it back on the grass with a huff. It really was too heavy for its own good.

"Wow, Bells. I have to study for all of the same things as you and I don't have all that shit in my bag." She teased.

"Ha ha. This 'shit' will help me get into a good college. It will help you too." I playfully slapped her arm and she did the same to me.

Finally, Renee's car showed up in the parking lot. Better late than never, I guess. She honked and we got up from the grass. I pulled my backpack over my shoulder – with the help of Rose – and stalked towards the car.

Both Rose and I got into the backseats. And Renee began to drive away.

"Sorry I'm late, girls. I had to run an errand and completely lost track of time!" Renee explained. Rosalie and I just laughed. We weren't too surprise about it, Renee was never on time anyways.

"It's alright, mom." I told her. She smiled and focused on the road again.

With Renee driving, we were home in eight minutes flat. If Charlie drove we would have arrived in fifteen minutes and if Emmett was behind the wheel . . . less than five minutes. We all got out of the car and made our way to the front door.

When we stepped into the house I noticed there was a lot of chatting going on in the living room. I recognized two of them; It was Charlie and Emmett's. The third voice seemed familiar but I didn't think it was really the person I thought it would be.

I walked quickly towards the living room and saw Emmett, Charlie and my best friend/crush, Edward. When Emmett and Charlie saw me they waved and smiled. Edward then caught sight of me and smiled widely. He stood up and walked over to give me a hug. I laughed and then let go of him.

I was so shocked. Why was he here? Didn't he have midterms too? I guess it didn't matter, as long as I got to see him than nothing else mattered.

* * *

**Once again, I am so so so SO sorry about the ate update. I feel terrible, but relieved that I finally posted it. Just to let you know, the lyrics to the song Edward is singing is completely written by me. I have to admit that I cannot write lyrics, and the fact that even made some up is sheer luck. Lmao. But hopefully it doesn't suck so much. Um, yeah that's just about it! Peace.**

**P.S - Don't forget to REVIEW.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Just friends?**

**Full Summary:** Bella and Edward have been the best of friends for as long as they can remember. Even though Bella lives in Phoenix and Edward lives in Chicago, their friendship is still strong. As they grow older they soon realize their true feelings toward each other. Friendship, romance and jealousy is what this story holds. Will love blossom between the two?

**Author's Note:** Emmett is 17, Edward and Bella are 15. The POV's from Bella and Edward.

* * *

Chapter 6: Dreaming Out Loud

**Bella's POV**

"Hey, Bella! It's good to see you." He said, still smiling.

"It's good to see you too, Edward! Oh wow, what are you doing here? Never mind that question, what's new with you?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." He said bluntly.

"Well that wasn't vague at all!" I said sarcastically

He chuckled. "I'll explain it all in time, Bells."

I just shrugged, knowing that Edward would tell me anyway. It was just so good to see him here in Phoenix. After confessing my 'crush' on him a week ago, he was completely the only thing on my mind. I mean, I thought about him a lot for sure but not all the time and so . . . romantically.

My shoulder then began to ache. I then remembered that I was still carrying my too heavy of a backpack. I switched shoulders and massaged the right shoulder. Edward looked at me with concern, but I just shook my head. He sighed and shook his head too. He smiled and I just about fainted. If I thought that he had a nice smile before, well now he had a gorgeous smile. What an understatement.

Just then Rosalie stepped through the door. She waltzed in gracefully, just like she always did and stood beside me. I thought Edward would have had his mouth open because of Rose's beauty, but when I looked at him I saw that he wasn't even looking at her. He was looking at me.

"Edward, this is my best friend Rosalie. Rosalie, this is my best friend Edward." I introduced them. Edward just smiled and nodded his head and Rosalie did the same.

Just then Rose's face lit up and recognition showed in her eyes. She squealed.

"Oh! So you're the one who Bella has a – OW!" I dropped my backpack on Rosalie's foot to stop her from finishing her sentence. She took off her high heel and massaged her big toe.

"Oops, I must have dropped my backpack. I didn't know your foot was there. Sorry, Rose." I lied.

Rosalie just glared at me and shook her head. I laughed nervously and Edward joined in with me.

"Doesn't surprise me that you're still clumsy enough to hurt others around you, Bell." Edward joked.

"Ha ha."

I turned around to see that Emmett and Rosalie were hugging. I'd rather see that than them making out. It was just gross – seeing one of my best friends and my brother going at it. Edward saw that too and gave me a questioning look. I explained to him that Rose and Emmett were officially dating. He just smiled.

We left the two in peace. In other words, we left before we witnessed anything else happening. I dropped off my backpack in my room and then collapsed on my bed. Edward sat down beside me and put his arm around me. I felt all fuzzy inside – I loved his touch.

Edward was looking around my room, though there wasn't really anything special about it. My room had light purple walls and creamy white curtains. My queen sized bed had light gray bed sheets that had a modern floral design with the matching pillows. I had a desk – just like the majority of bedrooms – that had my white Mac Book on it and tons of paper clattered on top of it. On my walls were lots of pictures – some family photos, Emmett and me, Alice and me and Rosalie and me. The majority of the photos were of Edward and I on our visits. It showed us throughout the years from four years old to the present.

Edward walked up to the photo that was taken of us the previous Christmas. We went to Chicago and it snowed there. We were sitting on the snow, Edward's arm around me and my head resting on his shoulder. We were both smiling though Edward's smile was much more lovely compared to mine.

"I remember that day. It was the day when Emmett wouldn't shut up about his girlfriend, to who I now know is named Rosalie. So Alice, you and I escaped from him and went to the school's massive field that was completely covered with snow. Alice brought her camera and took a picture almost every two minutes. You should see the photo album, it's two albums full and it's not even finished yet!" Edward said.

I laughed. "That picture was taken just before Emmett found us and chased us for ditching him. And then he fell flat on his face. Good times."

Edward smiled and walked towards me. And pulled me up and we walked down the stairs again. Though when we reached the bottom, I wished we stayed upstairs a little longer.

Rosalie and Emmett were making out. God, I always hated walking in when they were kissing, it was just gross. I covered my eyes and hid behind Edward. I heard him laugh and then clear his throat. Rose and Emmett backed away and then walked towards us. I was still covering my eyes in case anything else happened. Edward moved my hands away and looked me in the eyes.

"I invited Em to the movie and dinner. Is that okay?" Rose said. I pulled away from my gaze and looked at her.

Oh yeah, that's fine." I looked back at Edward. "You want to come too, Edward? It will be fun."

"Sure. I need some fun after my flight." Edward replied. I smiled, happy that he was coming with us.

"Oh my God! This is just going to be like a double da – OW! Bella, what the hell?" Rosalie yelled. She was rubbing her arm and glaring at me.

"Woops! My hand must have slipped!" I lied.

Emmett began to laugh very loudly. It was only a matter of seconds before Edward and I joined in with him. Rose was just shaking her head and rolling her eyes. After our laughing fit, we left to go to the movie theatre. We decided on watching A Walk To Remember because Rose and I wanted to watch it. Edward didn't mind the choice, he just wanted to hang out with us and have fun. Emmett only said yes because Rosalie wanted to and asked if it was okay. Man, he was whipped.

We got our seats just when the movie was about to start. Reasons being that Emmett wanted to get popcorn and a Pepsi. He also wanted gummy bears and then he couldn't decide if he also wanted the Twizzlers or the Twix. Eventually he decided to get both and paid for it all. I have no idea what Rose saw at him, but I knew she had good judgment so I didn't defy it.

I had read the book, A Walk To Remember before and had cried throughout some things in the novel. But watching it on the screen rather than imagining it made me cry more. I couldn't imagine being in love with someone and knowing that they had passed away at such a young age. That's heartbreaking.

Finally the movie ended and Rosalie and I were in tears. Emmett was absolutely not fazed at all by the story and then yelled out, "I don't get it!" My brother, the mentally disabled. Edward at least was rubbing my shoulder and wiped away my tears. I stopped crying when I looked into his beautiful green eyes.

I swore I felt my heart stop beating, and then beat faster and faster the longer I looked into his eyes. Did he even have any flaw? I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. It just kept on tapping and I ignored it. It finally stopped and I was relieved that I could finally be in peace. But out of absolutely nowhere I felt a smack on my head.

"Ouch! Who in the hell fricken . . ." I turned around to see Rosalie smiling and waving at me. "Rosalie! What the frick?!" I yelled.

"Well someone had to bring you back to reality," She winked at me. Rose knew why I wasn't responding to her the first time. Damn. "Besides, Emmett is hungry. And we all know what happens when he gets hungry."

"You're still hungry, Em? Didn't you just stuff your face with all that junk food? Honestly, it's like your stomach is a bag with a hole in the bottom of it. Things go in it but fall though the hole so the bag is never full." I rambled.

"What can I say, Bells? I'm a growing boy and I need my vegetables."

"Emmett, you don't even like to eat vegetables." Edward said.

We also laughed and Emmett just glared. When we stopped laughing we all began to think of a place to eat. We decided on Red Lobster since Rose and I wanted seafood and Edward wanted pasta. Emmett just wanted to eat something with a big portion. When we arrived at the restaurant, at first we had to wait twenty minutes for a table but when the hostess looked at Edward she immediately just gave us a table without a wait.

Jokes were being passed around the table and a never-ending amount of laughter. We were probably the loudest ones throughout the Red Lobster restaurant, but none of us really paid any attention to that. Emmett had his arm around Rosalie on their side of the booth while Edward and I sat on the other side. He wasn't holding my hand and his arm wasn't around me but we were close enough for our arms to be touching.

Just then our waitress came. She was tall and blonde and was very pretty. I suddenly felt very subconscious in her presence. She was smiling when she came towards us and smiled even more when she set her eyes on Edward. I wanted to slap her in the face so she wouldn't look at him anymore, but I knew that I wouldn't have the guts to do it.

"Hi. My name is Catherine and I'll be your server for this evening. Can I start you guys off with anything to drink?" She said, looking at Edward the whole time.

I felt Edward shift his weight and then put his arm around my waist. I was surprised by this gesture but I just smiled. I knew that he felt uncomfortable with her staring at him and wanted to get him off her focus. I always helped him when girls wouldn't leave him alone and he would do the same for me. Though I didn't get as much attention as Edward did.

"I'll have a sprite." Emmett said. "What about you, Rose?"

"I'll get an iced tea." Rosalie turned her gaze to me, telling me through her eyes that it was my turn.

"Uh, I'll have a coke please." I replied.

"Me as well." Edward said.

"One sprite, one iced tea and two cokes," Catherine murmured as she wrote it down on her notepad. She then put the pen and notepad back in her pocket. "I'll be right back with your drinks and to get your order."

She left with one last glance at Edward. She flipped her hair and then turned on her heel. I looked at Edward who had a nervous expression spread across his face. Emmett then began to boom with laughter. It was as if we weren't already loud before.

"Edward, haven't you noticed that you always attract the blonde ones?" Emmett asked.

"He also attracts brunettes." Rosalie mumbled, looking at her hands. I kicked her from under the table and she jumped a little in surprise. I shook my head at her.

"I don't know why she kept on staring at me. I don't even know her for heaven's sakes! It's really weird when someone you don't know just keeps on staring at you." Edward shuddered.

I chuckled softly and then Catherine came back with our drinks.

"Here are your drinks. And what can I get for you guys?" She asked.

When we finished ordering, Catherine left and winked at Edward. I felt him squirm as he took a sip of his coke. I felt bad for him – I knew what it's like to have someone flirting with you nonstop. Well, I don't have as many fans as him per se. I only have two, Tyler and Eric and compared to Edward's stalkers they were microscopic. But still, I knew the feeling, I guess.

"So, Edward. How long will you be in Phoenix for?" I asked, then sipping my drink.

"Eight months," I choked on my drink and started coughing. "Bella, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Why are you staying here for eight months?"

Not that I minded his long visit, but still!

"Long story short, I got expelled from my school and my parents' punishment for me was to stay here in Phoenix. So technically I was kicked out." He said.

Edward. Got. Expelled. How can someone as well brought up as Edward get expelled? That's just not possible. Emmett is more likely to get expelled and he has only received in school suspensions. I must be going insane.

"How in the hell did you get expelled? Am I being punk'd or something, because if so, you got me. Where's Ashton." I rushed.

"You aren't being punk'd. I really did get expelled. I poured bleach into my principal's gym bag, and did some other things . . . but we won't really get into that."

"You poured what now? Edward, why would you do that?" I waited for him to answer me but he didn't. It was almost as if he was hiding something. "You could tell me, Edward. You know that." I said more calmly this time.

"It's not important. What's important is that my punishment was to live here with you for eight months and attend the same school as you."

Whoa. He never mentioned anything about going to school with me. I hope he knows that my school is very different compared to the private school he attended in Chicago. There were no uniforms and the teachers weren't as intelligent compared to private school teachers. All in the realm of a public school.

I honestly can't even imagine Edward being in a public school. Just like I can't imagine him getting into so much trouble and then getting expelled. I can only imagine the responsible Edward who didn't step out of line if the result was so extreme. I truly am going insane.

"I'm a little nervous actually, going to the same school as you." Edward added.

"Why would you be nervous? You've got Emmett, Rose and me there with you. Well, Em is two grades higher than us but Rose and I are in the same grade as you."

"I'm not worried about being lonely at school. I'm worried about what your friends will think of me. And the fact I will be going after midterms will be a little weird, seeing as how I wasn't able to do mine."

As if anyone won't like Edward. That's like saying Alice doesn't like shopping, which we know will never happen. Honestly, I think I'm missing the point he's getting at.

"You'll be fine. Don't worry about it, just be yourself and you'll survive. Try to avoid the criminal acts while you're there okay?" I teased. Edward chuckled and then dropped his head.

I looked to my right to see that Catherine came back with our food. She handed Edward's plate last and gave him a seductive smile. Doesn't she know he's only fifteen? Okay, she must have been around sixteen so she wasn't that much older than him but I mean, come on!

"Thanks." He mumbled, still looking down.

"No problem, sweetie." She said before she left.

He looked up, with his eyes wide and his lips pursed into a straight line. He shook his head and then began to eat. I heard Em and Rose snickering in the background and I just ate my food in silence. I tried not to laugh at Edward's reaction to Catherine's remark so I just stared at me dinner. It was hard when Emmett and Rosalie were laughing without care about it. I then slipped and a small chuckle left my mouth, I couldn't help it.

I heard Edward laugh softly and then the whole table burst into laughter. In my peripheral vision I saw that the people around us just looked at us with annoyed faces. Screw them; what the waitress did was pretty funny. They didn't hear her practically purr when she said 'sweetie.'

"Emmett, slow down. The food isn't going to escape you know." Edward said when we calmed down.

"I can't help it if I'm hungry. I don't want my stomach to be growling when I kiss Rosalie later." Rosalie smacked him on the back of his head.

"Okay, didn't need to know that, Em." I shuddered.

"Hey you'll want to be full when you make out with –" Emmett was then cut of when Rosalie smacked the back of his head again.

I just stared at him in confusion. Make out with whom? I didn't think he meant Edward. He's my brother and Edward is his friend, he would find that weird. Just like I found him and Rosalie making out disgusting. I'll just ask him later.

We got the bill and we all paid for our food. Catherine had slipped her number with the check, seriously is that girl desperate or what? I laughed when Edward ripped up the number and placed back on the table for her to see.

We dropped off Rosalie and then drove home. I had to study for my Calculus midterm the next day and I had no clue whatsoever at what I was doing. Anything math related just wasn't my forte. Edward still had some things to unpack and Emmett . . . well, I didn't really know what Emmett was going to do. I just knew that he wasn't going to study, that was for sure.

When we go back it was exactly 10:00 and Renee and Charlie were already sleeping. We tried to make as little noise as possible while going to our rooms but epically failed. I tripped over a step and Edward caught me. Emmett just had to laugh and Edward punched him and Emmett yelled 'Ow!" It's a good thing my parents are heavy sleepers because we were over the top loud.

I said goodnight to Edward and Emmett before going to my room. I shut the door and then walked over to my desk. I pulled out my notebook and Calculus textbook and began to review. With my lack of intelligence in the subject, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

**Edward's POV**

I placed the picture frame on my nightstand. It was a picture of my family and Bella's. It was a beautiful picture; it was recently taken from last summer when we went to the Mexican Riviera. Carlisle had his arm around Esme's waist and Charlie was holding Renee's hand. Alice was smiling at the camera while Emmett gave her bunny ears. I had my arm around Bella's shoulders and we both smiled at the camera. She was so pretty. It's no wonder I like her; she's beautiful, smart, kind and just about everything about her makes me smile.

I sighed and sat on the bed. I wasn't tired yet, and I wasn't attending school for another week so I didn't have to wake up at a certain time. Though I did promise Renee that I would help her plant the flowers in her garden as gratitude of allowing me to live in her house for most of the year. I looked at the clock and it read midnight. It had taken me two hours to finish packing and now I knew to never let Alice pack my things for me.

I heard clattering from the other side of the wall. Pages were flipping which I could tell were from a textbook. I knew that it was Bella, seeing as how her room is right beside mine. I got up and walked over to her door. I knocked silently, not wanting to wake anyone else up. The rustling stopped and I could hear footsteps.

Bella opened the door and she had a tired expression on her face. At first I didn't get why she was up, but I saw her desk and caught that she was studying for her midterm tomorrow. She yawned and wiped her eyes.

"Can I help you, Edward?" She whispered.

"I don't need anything. The question is can I help you?"

She looked confused. I just nodded my head at her desk. She glanced to where I was looking and breathed out.

"If you don't mind, I really need help studying for my Calculus midterm tomorrow."

"I don't mind. It's midnight, and you really need some sleep or else you'll fail your midterm from sleep deprivation." I teased.

She laughed and welcomed me in. I stepped in to see that the only light on was the lamp on her desk. She pulled up another chair by the desk and sat down in hers. I sat down and took her textbook. What she was reviewing didn't confuse me; Calculus was one of my strongest subjects.

I explained to her the different methods of things and tried to say it as simple as I could. She caught on quite fast and I wasn't surprised. Like I said, she was a smart girl. I made a small quiz for her to do and she got each answer correct. By the time we finished it was almost one. It had only taken us an hour, not bad for a last minute review.

I was about to leave when Bella grabbed my wrist. I turned back to see her smiling softly. She was already in her pajamas and her hair was still a little wet.

"Thanks for helping. I really appreciate it." She said.

"It's my pleasure. I'm just glad that you can finally get some rest." I was going to take a step when I felt that Bella was still holding onto my wrist.

"Don't go." She whispered.

I smiled and lay on the bed beside her. She put the blanket over us and then sighed. I put my arm around her and she snuggled in my chest. I loved how her hair always smelled like strawberries; it was so refreshing and sweet.

"Goodnight, Edward."

"Night, Bells." I said before closing my eyes.

_I was standing on a beach. From the looks of it, I was in California. Just like the one where we spent that summer when I was six and I gave Bella that necklace with the green jewel on it. I started to walk on the soft sand beach, along the water. The sun was setting and the breeze felt wonderful against my skin._

_I crossed my arms around my chest and noticed that my arms and shoulders were broader. I looked down and saw that I was taller than my usual height. I ran my hand through my hair like I always did and felt that I didn't have longish hair, but it was a little shorter and was a tousled mess. I must have been around eighteen or nineteen because I for sure was not fifteen._

_Just when I thought I was all alone on this beach, I heard a faint voice calling my name. The voice sounded as sweet as an angel's and I turned around to see who it was. There was a girl running towards me, and she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever laid my eyes on. She got closer and closer and I gasped when I saw whom it was._

_It was Bella. She had the same loose curly hair except it was longer and reached to the middle of her back. She had a womanly figure now and had curves that any girl would kill for. Her porcelain skin was still soft and flawless and I could see a pink blush spread across her cheeks. Her brown eyes sparkled as I looked into them. When she smiled, I felt my heartbeat quicken._

_Bella was always attractive, but seeing her right now . . . wow. She was absolutely beautiful, and that was just an understatement. She then held my hand and squeezed it tight. She was so warm; I wanted to hold her so badly._

_"Edward, I have something to tell you. And I don't know how you are going to react to it." She said._

_"Tell me. You know you can tell me everything."_

_"I think," She sighed and looked me in the eyes again. "I think that I'm in love with you." She whispered._

_I then crushed my lips to hers._

I woke up suddenly. What a weird dream. Not the strange, random kind of weird dream. It was more of a wonderful, exciting kind of weird dream. I turned onto my side to find that Bella wasn't there anymore. Instead, there was a note placed on top of her pillow.

_Good Morning, Edward!_

_Thanks again for helping me study, I really needed it. Anyways Rose, Em and I are going to the mall later. Want to come with? Let me know through text okay? See you later._

_Bella._

I got out of her bed and stalked over to my room. I still had my clothes from yesterday on so I got the clothes I needed, my toiletries and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. When I was finished I slipped the green polo and shorts on and put my other clothes from yesterday in the laundry. When I got back to my room and retrieved my cell phone, I clicked on Bella's number.

_To: Bella_

_From: Edward_

_I'm in. I just have to help your mother with gardening and then I should be ready by the time you come back._

I sent it and put my cell phone into my pocket. Five minutes later, I felt it vibrate three times. I took it out of my pocket and saw I got a text message from Bella.

_To: Edward_

_From: Bella_

_Okay, cool. I'll be home around noon. The only good thing about midterms is the fact that we get to leave school early._

I laughed and went to find Renee. I found her in the kitchen, reading the newspaper. She noticed me walking towards her and smiled before she set the newspaper on the counter. She already had her gardening hat and sandals on already. I wonder how long she had been waiting for me, not too long I hoped.

"Good morning, Edward. Ready to start gardening?" She asked delightedly.

"I've never been one for gardening, so I'm as ready as I can be."

She chuckled and handed me some gloves. "Alright, let's get to it! Bella told me she was going to the mall later and said that she was inviting you. So we should get started so we can finish before she comes."

I nodded and took the gloves. We made our way to their backyard and from afar I could see the pots and pots of flowers that needed to be planted. I admired flowers, only when I didn't need to be the one to plant them.

We were already halfway done throughout the hour. As we kept on going all I could think about was the dream. Renee would once in a while start conversations and I would politely join in, but other than that I tried to make sense of what the dream meant. Was it real or was it just pure fantasy? All I knew was that I enjoyed every second of it. And if it did ever happen to me in reality, I would be the happiest man of all time.

* * *

I_'m dreamin out loud,_

_Dreamin out loud,_

_And all at once it's so familiar to see,_

_I'm dreamin out loud,_

_Dreamin out loud,_

_Can't find a puzzle to fit into piece of apart of me_

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dreaming Out Loud By One Republic_

_

* * *

_

**I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry that I couldn't update sooner because I was busy. But seriously, that's what happened. Anyways, this chapter was originally not going to even be posted, but I guess it's _sort_ of a filler. Next chapter will be fun to write so stick with me! And please _REVIEW!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Just friends?**

**Full Summary:** Bella and Edward have been the best of friends for as long as they can remember. Even though Bella lives in Phoenix and Edward lives in Chicago, their friendship is still strong. As they grow older they soon realize their true feelings toward each other. Friendship, romance and jealousy is what this story holds. Will love blossom between the two?

**Author's Note:** Emmett is seventeen throughout this whole chapter. Bella and Rosalie are fifteen throughout this whole chapter. Alice is fourteen throughout this whole chapter. Edward is fifteen during the first half of this chapter, and sixteen during the other half of the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7: Hello, Goodbye

**Edward's POV**

I always hated the first day of school. It was the day when we got new lockers, new classes and new kids that were always snobby. Well, technically it wasn't the first day of school because it was the middle of January and not September. So I guess just to be specific, it was my first day of school and _I_ got a new locker and _I_ got new classes and _I_ was the new kid – though I wasn't a snob.

My things were already packed in my bag, and I dressed into jeans and a gray polo. I tried to fix my hair but it just stayed in the disarray it was already in. It felt weird not to have to wear a uniform to school, but in a way I felt more like myself. I sighed and headed out of my room. I made my way downstairs where I could smell pancakes.

When I entered the kitchen my heartbeat quickened. It always did when I saw Bella, but something about her seemed even more beautiful than she already was. She was wearing jeans and a hoodie that had black and white sprawled all over it and zipped all the way through the collar. On the bottom you could see that she was wearing two other shirts that were blue and yellow. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and her loose curls hung nicely.

I smiled and sat down where I saw the chocolate chip pancakes on a plate in front of me. I dug in and took my time eating. Bella and I were the only ones at the table, and her parents were at work.

"Where's Emmett?" I asked.

"He already left to go get Rose, so it's just you and me," she replied.

"But how are we going to get to school?"

"Well, you see this is where Emmett has absolutely no logic in. He's picking up Rosalie and then coming back to pick us up. He could have just brought us with him and then picked up Rose, and then we would be on our way to school. But no, Em had to choose the long way."

She shook her head and I chuckled. I finished my pancakes and drank the milk. I brought my plate and glass to the sink and washed them. Soon after, Bella did the same. I washed and then she dried.

We made our way outside and sat on the porch. It was nice out, and it was only 8:30 in the morning. I could get used to this weather.

"So are you ready?" She asked.

"Ready for what?"

"For your first day of school in Phoenix. Are you ready or a nervous wreck?"

I smiled and looked at her. Her eyes twinkled in the light. "I think I'm ready. If you, Em and Rose are with me I'll be fine."

"Of course we'll be there! Even if we have separate classes we won't leave you behind," She stated.

I put my arm around her and she leaned on my shoulder and sighed.

"I know, I know," I said. "I'm just saying I don't want to look like a loser on my fist day." Bella scoffed.

Just then, a jeep parked in the driveway. In it was Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett honked the horn and Bella and I grabbed our bags. We got inside and Em backed out of the driveway as soon as the doors shut.

He drove pretty fast and we were there in five minutes. Lots of cars were already parked and most of them were BMW's, Mercedes and Mustangs. At my school, there weren't a lot of cars. However, there were a lot of limo's dropping the students off. I stepped out of the car and slung my bag over my shoulder. Bella came to my side then, with Rosalie beside her and Emmett holding Rose's hand.

I noticed lots of people were staring at me. I had to get my schedule and find out where my locker was. Rose and Em had to go to class so Bella came with me to the office. I could have found it myself, but I'd use any excuse just to be with Bell alone. This was possibly the biggest crush I had ever had.

We stepped through the office door and seated at a desk was a middle-aged lady typing on the computer. When we right in front of the desk, she stopped typing at looked up at me.

"How can I help you, dear?" She asked.

"It's my first day here, and I was wondering if I could get my schedule," I said calmly.

"Of course. Now, what's your name?"

"Edward Cullen."

"That's right! I'll be back in a minute, Mr. Cullen," She said before she left to the other room. She came back and sat in her chair again. "Alright then. Here is your locker number and lock. The combination is on your sheet. Here is your schedule and a map of the school. Though I'm sure Ms. Swan here will help you around campus."

"I will, don't worry about it," Bella said.

"Well, I hope you have a good experience here. Have a nice first day, Mr. Cullen."

She nodded once and went back to typing. Bella and me got out and started walking down the hallway.

"Let me see your schedule," Bella held out her hand and I placed the piece of paper in it. She scanned it and smiled. "We have most of our classes together, except for musical performance and History. I have English and Cosmetology during those two periods."

I smiled too and she handed me back the schedule.

As we made our way towards French, lots of people greeted Bella. Lots of people knew her and were kind to her. She always told me that she didn't have many friends – and somehow being with her right now, I didn't believe it one bit. Not that I believed it before but still, she just didn't realize the good points she had.

We sat in the desks along the back row. I had to introduce myself to the class, and it sucked. I knew that I had to do more of that throughout the day. The teacher gave us booklets to work on and I had no problem with it. I had already learned this stuff back in Chicago.

When I finished I slouched in my chair and watched the clock. I turned my head to see that Bella was finished too and she smiled at me. I smiled back at her and noticed something in the corner of my eye. I titled my head and saw a strawberry blonde girl waving at me.

I had to admit that she was pretty, but I didn't find her nearly as beautiful as Bella. She looked like she tried too hard to look sexy and to me it rather looked disgusting. I looked down at my desk and shuddered. I heard Bella let out a light laugh.

The bell rang and everyone got out of their seats and made their way towards the door. This was one of those times where Bella and I didn't have classes together. She told me that she would save me a seat at lunch. She told me good luck and then left for her class. I was going to need that good luck.

I walked down the halls and heard the same amount of whispering I heard when I first walked down the hall with Bella. I ignored it and tried to find the room I was designated to go to. The school was fairly large compared to my smaller private school. I finally came across Room 27. The door was closed and I took a deep breath before opening the door.

When I opened the door I noticed how most of the chattering had stopped and all heads were turned towards me. I stalked towards the teacher who gave me a handshake.

"Hi, um, I'm Edward Cullen. I'm new here," _Obviously._

"Well, Edward. Welcome to Music Performance class. My name is Mr. Dirk. Please tell us something about yourself and what instruments you play."

Mr. Dirk sat down at his desk and leaned down in his chair. I turned to face the class and shrugged.

"Okay then. My name is Edward Cullen. I moved here from Chicago and will be staying here until the end of the year. I've been playing piano since I was four and the guitar since I was seven. I've never taken vocal lessons but I've been told that I have a nice singing voice," I summarized.

I looked to see Mr. Dirk nodding his head at me. He looked like he was impressed and then gestured for me to find a seat. I walked down the aisle and sat down behind a girl with red hair. I put my books on my desk and sulked in my chair as the lesson began.

The teacher talked about stuff I already knew – he talked about how we handle the instruments and simple things like that. He gave us time to go play an instrument of our choice for the rest of class. The guitar was already taken so I sat down on the bench by the piano and set my fingers on the chilled keys. I closed my eyes and began to play.

Clair de Lune. That was the song I was playing. I knew it off by heart since Esme loved it and would always ask for me to play it for her. I sort of was playing it for her right now, even if she was still in Chicago and had absolutely no clue that I was playing it at the moment.

The song came to an end and I opened my eyes. I saw the class surrounded by the piano, watching me. I then heard clapping; I spun a round on the seat to see Mr. Dirk was the one applauding. I looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"That was wonderful, Edward! You are a fine pianist," he commented.

I nodded my head once and stood up from the bench. The other students started to walk away and go back to their instruments. I was going to play the guitar, but the bell rang. I would just have to play it next class then. I grabbed my books and headed out the door.

I had absolutely no idea where the cafeteria was. I put my things back in my locker and just followed everyone else. Just as I was about to step through to the lunchroom I felt someone press against my chest. I looked to see the red haired girl who sat in from of me was the one stopped me. I gave her a quizzical look.

"Your name is, Edward, right?" She asked.

"Yeah it is," I moved away from her touch and stepped back once. "And your name is?"

She held out her hand. "Victoria Jardine," I shook her hand briefly and then let go to put my hand back at my side. "So I heard your little performance at the piano not too long ago. You're really good."

"Thanks," I nodded my head.

"I heard you play the guitar as well. I play too. If you want to hang out sometime, we could bring our guitars and play for a little while . . ." She trailed off.

Though she suggested to play the guitar together, I knew the real meaning of 'play for a while.' Gross!

Just when I was going to reject her, I felt someone hold my hand. I looked to my right and saw that it was Bella. I smiled in relief and noticed that Bella was shooting a glare at Victoria. I looked at Victoria who was also glaring at Bella.

"Edward, you ready for lunch?" She asked sweetly.

"Now that you're here, of course I am," I answered. "Bye Victoria, it was um, nice to meet you."

"Yeah, goodbye _Victoria_." Bella sneered her name. Victoria huffed and flipped her flaming red hair as she walked away.

We walked to the lunch line. Bella got a salad while I got a turkey sandwich. I paid for the food even though Bella protested. We made a deal that she would pay the next day – I couldn't say no when she put on her puppy dog pout. Damn, was I a pushover or what?

"Thanks for helping get Victoria off my back. She was kind of annoying."

"No problem," She shrugged. "She's not the type of person to get involved with. Complete slut."

I put my arm over her shoulder as we walked over to the table Rosalie and Emmett were sitting. Rose and Emmett were laughing and before we knew it, they began making out. I wondered if they ever heard of PDA. I felt Bella cringe at the sight. Hell, the sight grossed me out too.

We sat down and started eating, waiting for the two notice we were there and stop kissing. But they just kept going at it. I dropped my sandwich bag in the plastic box and pushed it away, suddenly losing my appetite. Bella did the same and tapped her fingers on the table. I then cleared my throat and the two broke apart and looked at us.

"Oh, hey guys. How long have you been here for?" Rosalie asked.

Bella glanced down at her watch and shrugged. "About ten minutes. It's about time you guys stopped sucking each other's faces off. That is a sight I never, ever want to see." She shuddered.

"Can't make any promises, Bells. I love Rose, especially when she –"

"Okay, stop right there. I really don't want to know," She shook her head.

"Neither do I, Em. I'd rather not throw up at school, thank you very much," I teased.

The bell then rang and we all fled to class. Bella and I had the same class again, I was happy about that. In fact, as long as Bella was with me throughout this semester I think I would be fine.

* * *

**August – Fifteen years old (Bella's POV)**

Today would be the day the Cullen's were going back to Chicago. Their flight was at 11:45 and they needed to be there around 9:30. It was also the last day Edward would be living with us. These last eight months were fantastic, and I wasn't going to deny that it was because of Edward's presence. I was still shocked that he got expelled but I was glad the he did. Wait, let me rephrase that. I was surprised of his expulsion but I was happy that his punishment was to live with us for most of the year. Okay that didn't sound right either, but the meaning should be clear.

I think that the worst part about Edward leaving was that I didn't have a crush on him anymore. I really liked him, really, really liked him. I've felt my feelings for him grow stronger throughout the time he was here and I was a little terrified. I really like my best friend in that way. See why it's sort of scary? Not scary shitless, but scary I-think-I-just-realized-something. Good grief.

It was around seven in the morning. Usually I would have been asleep, but I couldn't. I just kept on thinking about how it will be so much different without Edward around. Saying that I was going to miss him was an understatement. I was sitting on the couch, my knees pulled up to my chest and watched T.V.

There was nothing on this early in the morning, so I was watching Life With Derek. I used to love that show but I grew out of it. The episode was a re-run. I pretty much new the words to the episode and felt tempted to say them with the characters. But I just kept my mouth shut just in case I woke anyone up.

The episode was about Casey and Sam breaking up for good. The plot of this episode always made me sad. I liked Sam with Casey. But when she started dating Max, I was happy because Max was gorgeous. Not saying that I think looks matter but still. Casey's love stories with Max and Sam were depressing because both relationships never survived. But now, I wasn't sad. The break ups were nothing compared to the way I was feeling about Edward leaving for Chicago.

I knew that I was going to see him at Christmas. But the thought of saying goodbye for three months and half was heart breaking. God, I was acting like I was part of a soap opera. But I couldn't help it if I was felt that way.

I then heard footsteps thudding on the stairs. I looked up to see that Edward was in his pajamas – gray shirt and plaid pajama pants. His hair was messier than usual so I guessed that he just woke up. He sat beside me and sighed.

"Why are you up so early, Bells?" He whispered.

"Couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"Same thing. I'm sad that this is my last day and my flight is early in the morning."

_You and me both_. "Yeah but aren't you excited to go back to Chicago and live with your family again? And Carlisle told me that the new school you'll be attending is one of the best in Chicago."

"Yeah but," he leaned back and wrapped his arm over my shoulders, I rested my head on his shoulder. "I got so used to living here. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to Emmett, Renee and Charlie. Rose and I just became friends when I first got here, but I'll miss her too. I'll miss you the most though."

"I'll miss you tons too. But hey, now Alice can re-organize your closet," I teased.

"Oh joy," He said sarcastically. I giggled. "Thank you, Bella."

"For what?"

"For everything. For helping me out at school and adjusting here. For being my best friend. And, for helping me when I was drunk," He whispered when he said the word 'drunk.'

"No problem. You're a funny drunk, but I still can't believe you drank that much. At Victoria's party, too!"

Ah good times. Victoria was throwing a party for her sweet sixteen and invited everyone. There was lots of people, lots of food and lots of alcohol. I didn't drink because I was assigned to be the designated driver. I didn't have my license but Em, Rose and Edward trusted me behind the wheel. Edward and Emmett drank the most. Beer bottles after beer bottles. Rosalie didn't drink that much, but she was still tipsy. The funniest part was seeing Edward dance while he was under alcoholic influence. But that's a different story to be told at a different time.

He laughed softly and rubbed the back of his neck. It was quiet for a few moments, though I didn't mind it. I could tell he didn't mind the silence either. They only sound audible was the ending credits of Life With Derek. I shut the TV off and leaned my head on his shoulder again. Edward then stood up and held his hand out for me. I was confused.

"Let's go outside," He said.

"In our pajamas?"

"Not out in the streets," he clarified. "Just in your backyard."

I nodded my head and took his hand. We walked out the back door and shut it quietly. As we walked on the grass in our bare feet, I felt the cool condensed water between my toes. It was humid, yet, but there was a slight breeze. It felt nice as it brushed against my skin. The sun was already rising and the clouds were gorgeous morning colors.

We sat under the tree, and still not talking. I turned my head to look at him as he looked into the sky. He looked at me then, and smiled. If I could melt, I would. But I just blushed and looked down at the ground.

"So I'm guessing you're all packed and ready to go, huh?" I whispered.

Edward sighed. "Alice kind of packed for me. Said she wanted to organize both by style and color." He shook his head and smiled.

I chuckled. "I'm not surprised. Alice always does that to me when I see her. You should see my closet. I've never seen my closet so clean! And my closet was already clean to begin with, so that's saying something."

It was brighter outside now, and the breeze was subtler. I was guessing that it was time for us to get ready and drop the Cullen's off at the airport. We got up and made our way to our separate rooms. I didn't really care about my outfit – skinny jeans, flats and a baby doll shirt. I pulled my hair into a half up ponytail and straightened my bangs so they were nicely side swept to the side. I put on mascara and was ready to go.

I ran down the stairs and found everyone sitting at the table and eating breakfast. The parents were talking animatedly and Edward and Emmett were just being guys, swallowing down their food and laughing. I sat down at my seat and put eggs on my plate. I began to eat and noticed Emmett staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Is that all you're going to eat?" He looked shocked.

"Not all of us eat as much as you, Emmett," I laughed and Emmett just ate again, glaring at me.

I looked at the seat across from me and saw that it was empty. Where was Alice? I looked around to see if she was lingering in the kitchen or watching TV. She wasn't there. How weird, Alice was usually one of the first to be ready. I was about to open my mouth and ask where she was when she sat down in her seat and let out a huff.

"Sorry, I'm a bit late for breakfast. I just couldn't decide which shirt I wanted to wear! It was between the black sequined top or the white lace, flowy shirt. I eventually chose the flowy one," She paused to gesture towards her shirt. "Because it matched my silver flats."

She smiled widely and saw that the parents were still talking. I knew that Alice was mostly addressing to Emmett, Edward and I so she didn't mind too much. She reached for the scrambled eggs and began eating. Emmett dropped his fork on his plate and it made a clinking sound. He shook his head and went to put his dishes away.

She watched as Emmett left with a confused look on her face. She was going to talk but Edward spoke first.

"Don't ask," Was all he said.

Alice shrugged and then continued eating her eggs. I got up and put my plate away before going to watch TV with Emmett. Edward did the same as soon as Alice was finished. We just watched Supernatural since nothing else was on.

"Hey, Bella?" Alice squeaked.

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure thing, Alice," I responded.

We got up from the sofa and made our way to my room. I saw Edward and Emmett looking at us warily but I just shrugged. How was I supposed to know what Alice wanted to talk about? I'm no mind reader.

Alice shut the door behind us and sat beside me on the bed. We sat cross-legged and for a few moments and didn't say anything. Alice looked like she was thinking of what to say and I just looked around the room. I then heard her clear her throat and I looked away from the ceiling to see her expression.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" I asked hesitantly.

"I need your advice."

"My advice on what, exactly?"

She pursed her lips and then sighed. "Okay. So there is this guy I like but he is one year older than me. We talk a lot and I think he may like me, too."

"I don't see the problem. You like him and he seems to like you."

"The problem is," She looked down. "Is that he's my brother's friend."

"Oh, I guess I can see your problem. Have you told Edward this?" I asked.

"Are kidding? If I did he would never let Jasper come over or let me talk to him at all!"

"Wait, you like Jasper? Jasper Whitlock? Awe, Alice, that's so sweet!" I'd met Jasper a couple of times when we went to Chicago. He was a nice guy; I could see why Alice liked him.

"I'm not looking for compliments, Bella." Alice hissed.

"Sorry, " I apologized. "Tell you this. Why don't you see how your feelings for Jasper go? If it's really strong, tell Edward. If it's just a simple crush, forget it ever happened."

"That sounds good. Oh and, Bella?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"I like your shoes. Where did you get them?" Her eyes were ogling my flats.

"Come on, Al." I laughed. "Let's go downstairs before the boys come up here and barge in."

She giggled and we went downstairs only to find that Edward and Emmett were bickering. Emmett was explaining something while Edward just rolled his eyes and tapped his fingers on the sofa cushions impatiently. I heard Charlie and Carlisle putting the luggage in the car already, and Esme and Renee talking.

It was time to go.

Edward and Emmett got up from the couch and walked with Alice and I as we made our way to the garage. We all got inside the car and left for the airport. The august weather was nice. Not too hot, nor too cold. I left my window open and let the wind breeze through my hair.

Alice and Emmett were talking, but Edward was as quiet as I was. I didn't feel like talking even if they were leaving. I looked out the window and watched as we drove by the buildings and the houses. I fidgeted with my fingers and pursed my lips when we parked in the airport parking lot.

We went with the Cullen's as they checked in their luggage and looked for their gate. When we were at Gate B56, that was when we had to say goodbye. Esme and Renee hugged each other while Charlie and Carlisle talked. I kissed both Esme and Carlisle on the cheek and waved.

Alice then hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her, too. "I'll miss you, Al. See you at Christmas. Promise me that when you see me you won't re-organize my clothes?" I hoped.

She gasped. "I can't make promises like that, Bella. That's like saying Edward isn't aloud to play the piano or Emmett should be smart!"

I laughed. I guess that was true. She stepped aside and then hugged Emmett. After, she walked to sit on the chairs with her parents. Carlisle and Esme were still talking to my parents, so Alice just looked down at her lap. Emmett joined her so she wouldn't feel alone. That left Edward and I.

I sighed loudly and then was pulled into an embrace so strong I would have mistaken it for Emmett. "Thanks again, Bella. You really made these eight months worth while," He whispered.

"I'm going to miss you. Don't forget to call."

We stood that way, hugging each other. We didn't move, and I didn't really want to. I just wanted to hold onto Edward for just a little bit longer.

"Edward darling, come on! We'll be boarding soon," Esme called.

Edward kissed my forehead lightly before stepping out of our hug. He had a frown on his face and breathed out.

"Bye, Bella" He finally said.

"Goodbye, Edward. " My voice cracked twice as I tried not to let the tears escape my eyes.

He held my hand and squeezed it once before turning around and lining up to get his passport checked. Charlie, Renee, Emmett and I started walking away after that. I looked back once and saw that Edward was looking back, too. He mouthed 'goodbye' at me and I waved at him.

The car ride wasn't silent. Emmett and Charlie were talking about some football game they just saw and said that the players were being ridiculous. Renee was quiet though. I knew that Esme was her best friend and saying goodbye always got her a little down. However, she wasn't as silent as me and would comment every once in a while.

I didn't talk at all. I didn't look out the window or fidget with my hands. I just stared at the back of the driver's seat. I felt the corners of my mouth pull into a frown and I concentrated on not crying in the car.

When Charlie parked the car into the garage I dashed up to my room and shut the door behind me. I then saw something on my pillow. I walked towards it and picked it up. It was a gift and inside was a card. I opened the card first, and found that it was from Alice and Edward.

_Bella,_

_Every time I see you, it's always harder to say goodbye. You are an amazing friend and I thank you so much for the advice you gave me. I will follow it and tell you how it all turns out. Talk to you soon._

_P.S: You still haven't told me where you got your shoes!_

_Love, Alice._

_Bells,_

_I've told you this over and over and over, but thank you. You truly are my best friend, and I treasure our relationship. Over the time I had lived with you, I could trust you with everything and know that you would always be by my side. Though I already knew those things, but still. The fact is that I really appreciate your hospitality and I hope you know that I will be there for you too._

_Love always, Edward._

I set the card on the bed nicely and opened the present. It was a picture. It was the four of us – Emmett, Alice, Edward and I. It was when Alice, Esme and Carlisle had flown in from Chicago for Edward's sixteenth birthday. Emmett had his arm over Alice as Alice's other arm was linked with mine. I was holding Edward's hand as he leaned his head on top of mine. We all looked super close in this picture, and it was great because we were that close.

On the back of the picture frame, I found something scripted. It said, _From Alice._ I set the picture frame on my desk by my laptop. I picked up the gift bag and then heard something jingle inside of it. I rummaged through the tissue paper and then felt something cold, like it hadn't been touched in a while.

I pulled it out of the bag and saw a small sapphire jeweled charm. The charm was in the shape of heart. There was a small note stuck on the bottom of the bag and I read it.

_I hope you like the charm. Edward._

I undid my necklace and slipped the sapphire jewel on the link. I put it back on and looked in the mirror. The sapphire and the emerald green jewel looked nice together. I held onto the necklace a little bit longer before the tears escaped my eyes.

* * *

**Sorry I haven't updated in the longest time. This chapter felt kind of slow to me so I wasn't very motivated. Trust me, this is not my favorite chapter. But don't worry, next chapter I'm going to be speeding along and I'm super stoked about it. I've already started chapter 8 so I hope to have it posted up soon.**

**The outfits Bella, Alice and Edward have are on my profile. There's a link to the photos, which are on my freewebs page.**

**I also made a poster for Just Friends? The link to my photobucket is also on my profile.**

**Last but not least, review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Anyone order pizza?

I couldn't believe it. I was going to be attending UCLA and try my hand at a writing career. But that's not what I couldn't believe. I couldn't believe that Rose was going with me and living with Emmett since he went to UCLA as well. I also couldn't believe that my best friend, Edward was going to the same school plus him and I were living in the same apartment.

Obviously I had strong feelings for him. But throughout the years I have found that I didn't just have a crush on him, nor did I really like him. I think I was in love with him. And to think, I haven't actually lived with him longer than a holiday since I was fifteen and Edward was sent to live with us.

I knew he didn't feel that way about me. I mean, come on! He could do so much better than I. I was average – brown hair with loose curls that reached mid back, brown eyes, pale skin and an uncontrollable blush. However, I was Edward's best friend. So if he wanted some beauty queen who had the brains to match it, I wouldn't stand in his way. I would be supportive – even if his love belonged to someone else.

Now I was getting way too over my head. Saying that I would be supportive is easier said than done. Most likely I would run off and break down crying. That was the Bella thing to do.

My backpack was slung over my shoulder and I carried one box. Edward carried most of them even though I told him I was willing to help. He was such a guy. I went through the open door of our apartment and set the box on the floor along with the others. I then sat down on the black leather couch that was put in the middle of the living room and another one along the wall.

In front of me was a dark, wooden coffee table and in front of that was a flat screen TV perched on top of a white stand. The walls were painted lavender blue and the neutral colored furniture contrasted nicely with it. The apartment was quite exquisite. Reason being that Esme and Renee had given it a renovation. Seriously, the whole apartment was renovated – living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, catch my drift?

I felt some weight beside me and I looked to see Edward. Edward had definitely matured since the last time I saw him in December. It was early July now; we decided to move in during the summer. His bronze hair was still disheveled and was just a bit shorter. His face held no sort of childish features but was much more of an adult. He didn't look cute, he looked gorgeously handsome. He had broad shoulders and was pretty built. He was tall too, probably around six foot one.

I felt intimidated by his looks, like I wasn't good looking enough. It was almost like I how I felt with Rosalie. She was so beautiful that I felt my self-esteem drop to the floor. Both were my very good friends, it was just that I felt my appearance didn't match up to theirs.

"Can you believe that we'll be going to university in two months and we live in an apartment?" Edward asked incredulously.

"I can believe it, but barely," I laughed. "Can you believe that you, Em, Rose, Alice, Jasper and I are living in Los Angeles?"

"I can believe you and I living together and I can believe Rose and Emmett living together. But I can't believe that Alice and Jasper are living together."

I sighed and shook my head. "Is it the fact that you can't believe that Alice is attending UCLA with us even though she's still seventeen?"

He rolled his eyes. "I already knew Alice was brilliant. She may seem stupid but she is in fact very bright. I was there when she was in my homeroom since the day she moved a grade up you know."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's just kind of weird thinking of Alice, my sister and Jasper, my good friend being in a relationship together. And now they're living together!"

"One of these days you're going to have to get over the fact that they are not in some sort of fling. They've been together for three years and really love each other." I stated.

"I know, I know. I guess it's just me being a big brother and getting a little protective over her. I trust Jasper and all, it's just weird."

I chuckled and then got up to bring my boxes over to my room. Renee had already painted my room and put the furniture in, so I didn't really have that much to unpack. I only had to unpack my clothes, books, laptop, pictures and things like that.

I opened the luggage with all of my clothes. Inside was a piece of paper with Alice's handwriting scrawled on it. It was a drawing of how to organize my closet. I shook my head and began following Alice's order of clothing.

I placed my jeans by fade – light to dark. I then put my hoodies on the other shelf in color coordination. I did the same with my shirts, except I hung them on hangers. I then hung the dresses behind my shirts from casual to formal. When I finished, I closed the closet door and put the piece of paper in a drawer.

I set my laptop on the desk and put some picture frames alongside it. I put another one on my night table and plugged in my clock by the lamp. On the white shelf across from the bed, I started putting my books away. I didn't put it into any sort of way, I just stacked them side-by-side and was finished.

I put my luggage under the bed and then gathered the boxes to put them in the storage closet. When I put it away, I went to the kitchen to find something to eat. I decided to make macaroni and cheese since I was too lazy to make anything else. Once I boiled the water and cooked the macaroni noodles, I put the cheese, milk and butter in and began stirring.

I placed the macaroni into two bowls and set it down on the dining table. Just when I was about to call Edward, he came in and sat down in front of the bowl.

"I smelled it, you didn't have to call me. The food was doing that for you," he said before eating the macaroni.

"For some reason, I'm not surprised." I joked. "So, do you know which apartment building Alice and Jasper are in?"

"Not at all. Al said she would call some time today."

Just then there was someone rapping at the door. I wasn't expecting anyone so I looked at Edward. He stared at the door questioningly so I knew he wasn't expecting anyone either. I shrugged my shoulders and got up from my seat. I walked towards the door and was about to clutch the doorknob. A hand beat me to it and I saw that Edward had gotten it.

He looked wary and put an arm around my waist. He was positioned so that it was almost like he was in front of me. I knew he just wanted to protect me and all, but come on! It was just someone knocking on our door, it wasn't like a terrorist was going to barge in and steal our macaroni and cheese.

Edward opened the door and I heard him gasp as he saw who was behind it. I looked at him worryingly and then looked at the person. Correction . . . people. And they weren't just any other people – It was Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice. How in the _hell_ did they know where we lived? We hadn't even told them yet.

"Surprise!" They all yelled out in unison.

"I'd definitely say I'm surprised. What are you guys doing here?" I questioned.

"Well, we were in Rose's apartment and we'd thought we would say hi," Alice replied.

"Don't Rose and Emmett live like twenty minutes away?"

"Not anymore," Emmett grinned.

"Say what?" I asked.

"Okay I'm confused," Edward chimed in.

"Didn't Emmett tell you he moved into this apartment building two months ago?" Rose asked. I shook my head. "Emmett you are such a dumb ass!"

"You love me, don't deny it." Rosalie smacked him in the back of the head.

We all laughed and then Edward and I invited the four of them in. I put away the empty bowls of macaroni and washed them. When I walked into the living room Emmett had his arm around Rose as they leaned against the sofa and Jasper had his hand held in Alice's. I sat down in the only spot available which only held two people. The two people that were occupying the couch were Edward and I, not that I was complaining or anything.

The TV was on and a basketball game was showing. I was never into sports so I didn't pay much attention to it. No one was paying attention to the TV anyways; we just wanted some sound throughout the room besides our talking.

"So where in the building you and Rose live?" I asked Emmett.

"Just down the hall, like four doors down," Emmett replied coolly. Rosalie smiled and nodded her head.

I made and 'o' shape with my mouth and then heard Edward talking to Alice.

"I thought you were going to call and tell me where you were living," Edward stated.

"I was going to call you. But then Jazz and I thought it would be better to just come here and tell you. It was only like a five minute walk anyway."

"What do you mean five minute walk? Where do you live?"

"One level up from here. Room 1213."

"What the fuck? You mean we all live in the same apartment building?" Edward yelled obliviously.

"What are the odds," I murmured.

"The odds are simple," Jasper said. "Our parents wanted us to watch out for each other so they all planned for us to live in the same building."

"How do you know this?"

"Because our parents told us," He simply said.

"So Edward and I were the only ones out of this whole thing?" I asked. They all nodded their heads and Edward just shrugged. "Well then, that's convenient."

I don't know how long they stayed over for. I just knew that we were all just sitting there, talking and laughing for hours. It was times like this when I was glad that I had friends like Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Edward and Emmett – even if Em was my brother.

We all decided on ordering pizza for dinner. We were all too tired to go out and just wanted to stay indoors. Edward called the pizzeria and ordered four large pizzas containing cheese, pepperoni, mushroom and meat lovers. Rose, Alice and I thought that was too much food, but boys will be boys.

Alice and Rosalie both looked at each other and whispered. They then nodded their heads and turned to face me. I looked at them questioningly and kept a little distance between us for safety reasons.

"Bella, let's talk," Rose said.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

"Not here," Alice hissed. "Let's go to your room."

They dragged my by the arm and walked towards my room. How they even knew which room was mine without me showing them was beyond me. They then set me on my bed and stood in front of me. Their arms were crossed over their chests and I just sat awkwardly.

"This won't take long, we promise, " Alice said.

I nodded my head slowly.

"We just want to know some things. And then maybe we could help you out,"

Rose nodded in agreement with Alice. I didn't say anything and waited for the question they wanted to ask me. Rosalie put a hand on my shoulder and sighed. I was confused. What the hell was going on? Some sort of intervention?

"Bella. Bella, Bella, Bella. We know you love Edward. So don't try to deny it," Rose whispered. I looked down at my hands and fiddled with my fingers.

"I wasn't going to deny it anyway," I mumbled.

I felt weight upon the bed on either sides of me. Rose and Alice were sitting beside me – Alice had her arm around me and Rosalie held my hand. We didn't speak; I didn't have anything to say and they knew that. I jut kept on thinking about how pathetic I was. You can't be anymore pathetic than loving your best friend and knowing that they don't have the slightest clue.

Alice then perked up and was giggling. "Oh my God, I have the best idea!"

"If it includes a makeover, count me out," I shook my head.

"It's not a makeover, I hardly give you makeovers anyway. You're already gorgeous," I scoffed while Alice glared. "Anyways. As I was saying, I have a plan. A plan to get you and Edward together."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"It's quite simple, really. Just make him jealous."

"How?"

Rosalie then stood up with a smile on her face. "Make him jealous by going out with a guy and pretending that you really like him!"

"I don't know if I can do that."

"Of course you can! And we'll help you through everything," Alice reassured.

"All we need is a guy that is willing to be a part of the act," Rosalie whispered.

Alice nodded. "We'll find someone. It won't be hard, it's Bella. Any guy would be willing."

_As if._

"Okay, fine. I'll go along with it. Just as long that it will work."

Alice and Rose smiled and gave each other a high five. I laughed and then walked out of the room, the two of them behind me. From down the hallway I saw that the door was open. Emmett was holding four boxes of pizza and Edward was paying the delivery guy. The guy had tanned skinned and dark hair. He had a bright smile and was pretty tall.

Emmett was laughing with him while Jasper and Edward smiled. When we waltzed in, they all looked at us. Edward smiled at me and I felt my heartbeat quicken. Eventually I found the courage to look away and make eye contact with the stranger.

He was pretty good looking the closer I got. He was nothing compared to Edward's godlike features, but he was still nice to look at.

"Emmett, do you know him?" I asked.

"Oh yeah. This here is Jacob Black. He goes to UCLA too and we've been friends since freshmen year," He then turned to Jacob. "Jake, this is my sister, Bella."

"Jake," he said and held out his hand.

I took it. "Bella. It's nice to meet you."

I felt a sort of awkwardness holding his hand for too long so I let go and put my hands in my pocket. I smiled subtly and nodded my head. Edward paid Jacob and then shut the door with an annoyed look on his face. When he looked at me he held a different expression upon his face. He smiled and his eyes lit up.

I heard whispering from behind me and then giggling. I then felt a sudden tug on the back of my shirt and found myself being pulled towards my bedroom. I tried to hold onto the door or the corner of the wall but nothing worked. They were still giggling when they shut my bedroom door.

Never fight the wrath of Rosalie Hale and Alice Cullen.

"Okay," I breathed. "What is it now?"

"We know who is going to help you make Eddie-boy jealous," Rosalie simply stated.

"Who?"

"Jacob Black."

"We just met him. He'll probably think I'm psycho when I go up to him and say 'hey. So I know I just met you but would you want to pretend to like me so I can make another guy jealous?' Do you see how retarded that sounds?"

"It only sounded retarded because of the choice of words you used," Alice defended.

"Oh okay. So if I change my words he won't think I'm psycho. Now it's all better!" I said sarcastically.

"We'll help you. It will be a piece of cake!"

I sighed and then we left the room. When we got to the kitchen, we found three empty pizza boxes and one box containing cheese pizza. Those pigs. They were sprawled over the couches and watching the game. They started yelling and making remarks when the players missed the basket or when the referee made a ridiculous statement.

We sat down on the couch with them ten minutes later when we finished our pizza and the game had ended. We talked for a little while longer before they all left for the night. When Edward closed the door, I heard Emmett laughing and then a thud. A curse escaped his mouth and Jasper snickered. They were so loud, I could only imagine how embarrassed Alice and Rosalie felt. Especially Rosalie.

I threw all of the pizza boxes into the trash and sighed. I was so tired and just wanted to sleep. I yawned and then I felt Edward's hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

"You should go to bed. I'll clean up a little bit here," Edward said calmly.

"No, it's fine. I'm not too tired, just a little."

"So you admit you're tired," he smirked. "Emmett didn't make too much of a mess this time. I can handle it."

"It's really okay. It won't take too –" I was cut off.

"Bella, get some rest. Don't worry about it okay?"

I looked into his eyes and knew that I couldn't say no. I just nodded and then walked to my room. I shut the door before I slipped off my clothes and put on my pajamas. I heard plates clanking as they were put away in the cupboards. I ignored it and pulled out my iPod before throwing the covers of my bed over me as I lay down.

I set it to shuffle and pressed play before shutting my eyes. The first song that was playing had a relaxed sound to it – the kind you would play on a summer road trip. I just never realized how much the song related to how I was feeling lately. I listened to the song a little more; every time it ended I just replayed it over and over.

_The little things, you do to me are_

_taking me over, I wanna show ya_

_everything inside of me_

_like a nervous heart that, is crazy beating_

_my feet are stuck here, against the pavement_

_I wanna break free, I wanna make it_

_closer to your eyes, get your attention_

_before you pass me by_

Story of my life.

* * *

"Yeah sure, I'll do it," Jacob said.

"Seriously?"

"No problem. Anything for Emmett's little sister," he replied.

"Well then," I smiled. "That's great! I don't want you to think I'm a lying slut or anything. I don't fall into either of those categories."

"Never thought you were."

"Okay, well here's what you have to do," Rosalie began. "Just be a little comfortable with Bella – arm around her waist, kiss on the cheek and glances at her when she isn't looking. It's the little things that will make Edward ticked."

"What she said," I agreed.

He laughed. "Sure thing. How about we start today. I'll walk you home and we'll begin when Edward is there,"

"Alright. Edward's at home anyway; he said he wanted to begin organizing his CD's. He has a lot, so it will take him the whole day."

"He can't have that many CD's," Jacob said disbelievingly.

"Yes he does," Rose and I said at the same time.

"Tell you what, I'm going to see Alice and help her unpack some more. I'll tell her about our worked out plan and you just walk back to your apartment. But remember, keep it subtle. We want Edward to think of extremes."

I nodded and then she hugged me before she left Starbucks. I still had my coffee in my hand and Jacob had his. We began to walk to my apartment, which wasn't too far away. It was approximately two blocks. Jacob went over the plan with me to make sure he got everything. I just agreed, not really knowing if anything was right or wrong. I'll say it again – this was _not _my idea.

It wasn't like I didn't like Jacob. He was comforting to be around with and very optimistic. I could see why him and Em became friends. He told me about his girlfriend who was in Europe because she had to film a movie. He told me a lot about her, and I could tell he loved her. The way he said her name was so sweet, I only wished Edward said my name like that. Too bad it won't ever happen.

"So tell me about Edward,"

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Doesn't matter. I don't know him so it could be anything."

"Okay," I said slowly. "Well he is a very kind and unselfish person. He cares for others before himself. He is very smart and is absolutely obsessed with music. I have known him since I was four, he's my best friend." I sighed.

"You love him," he stated.

I nodded and closed my eyes. Was it that obvious?

"I can tell by the way you describe him, and they way you said you were best friends. It just sounded like you want to be more."

"I do want to be more than the best friend. How cliché."

He chuckled and I smiled sheepishly. "Well, don't worry your pretty little head. I'll help you, no matter what."

I opened my eyes and nodded, knowing I could trust him. I began to unlock the door to the apartment. From outside I could hear Edward listening to a One Republic CD. The beat was blaring and I was surprised that no one had come up at this moment to tell him to lower the volume. When the door unlocked I looked at Jacob who only nodded at me.

As I opened the door I started laughing flirtatiously and Jacob had his arm around my shoulders. When I looked away from Jacob I saw Edward was staring at me. His face shocked and his eyes filled with anger towards Jacob.

"Oh hey, Edward," I finally said.

"Hey, Bells."

He was still glaring at Jacob. I looked to see that Jacob was smirking at Edward, obviously provoking him.

"I have to go, Bella. I promised Emmett that I would go over and watch the game with him," I smiled and then he leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I'll call you later and I want you tell me Edward's reaction."

"Okay," I replied.

"Bye, Bella."

"Bye, Jake"

With that, he left through the door. I turned around to see Edward's arms crossed over his chest. His lips were pursed into a straight line and his eyebrows were raised. I fiddled with my fingers and looked out the window.

"Wasn't that the pizza guy?" He asked.

"His name is Jacob."

"I prefer to call him, that pizza guy," He said dully. "And I don't like him."

"Oh come on, Edward. He's one of Emmett's friends and I just wanted to meet him."

He just nodded and I left him to organize his music in peace. I smiled once the wall was between us so he couldn't see my face. I started to smile sneakily and I giggled. I made a call to Alice's apartment, knowing that both her and Rose would be there.

"Bella?" They both asked.

"Yeah it's me. I don't have much to say, but I think it is pretty good."

"Tell us!"

"Four simple words. Phase one is complete," I answered.

* * *

**Okay so I updated earlier than I usually do. I hope you like this chapter. It's not that long, and I wish the length was longer. But then I would have been droning on and you would have just skimmed it. So yeah, here is chapter 8! And please review!**

**The song I used is The Little Things by _Colbie Caillat._**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Confusion

It has been two months since Edward and I moved into our apartment. Tomorrow would be the first day of university, and I was pretty freaked. I felt like it was the first day of high school except now the campus was way larger and the classes are longer. I was grateful that my classes weren't all day, but all spread out throughout the week. But it was the mere fact of me actually going to university that is setting me to insanity.

I have to constantly keep reminding myself to breathe in and out or else I will hyperventilate and just explode. It's times like this where I'm glad I've got Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Edward – especially Edward – with me. Just as long as Em doesn't embarrass me, Rosalie doesn't intimidate people I just met, Alice doesn't go runway on me, Jasper reminding me to calm down and Edward not being over protective – I think I'll be fine. For the most part, anyway.

All of my textbooks, and notebooks were stacked nicely on my desk alongside my pens and pencils inside my backpack. My outfit for tomorrow was hung nicely in my closet – I was able to choose this outfit since Alice was too busy picking hers – and the shoes I chose to wear placed on the bottom shelf. Everything was set and I had absolutely nothing to do.

Jacob had called me earlier to make plans for tomorrow after school. We were still on the "Make Edward Jealous" plan and so far things have been going smoothly. I mean, Edward looks annoyed when he sees Jacob with me and then he tells me how much he hates him and why I shouldn't hang out with him. To me he seems jealous or maybe he is just trying to do what's best for me. I don't know. But whatever it is, it sure is making him pissed off when Jacob puts his arm around me or kisses me on the cheek.

I was happy that Jake was the one helping me make Edward jealous. Reason being that he wouldn't fall for me since he had a girlfriend named Emily. I met her three days ago and I could tell when he looked at her that he was head over heels for her. Which is good, because I don't like Jake that way and am glad that after all of this we could still be friends.

Though I felt kind of bad for toying with Edward's emotions, but I just needed to know if he had feelings for me. The anxiety was killing me. Sometimes, I just wanted to go right up to him and kiss him fiercely. But I knew that doing that would be wrong and rational enough to ruin our friendship.

I sighed and scooted off my bed. I couldn't sleep and was staring at the ceiling for a good two hours. I needed something else to think about, and that something was chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Possibly with a side of watching Gossip Girl until I was tired enough to go back to sleep.

As I walked down the hallway, I heard the TV on. How strange; I thought I turned it off before I went to bed. I then heard something rustling in the fridge. The door was open and there was a figure rummaging through it. Panic started to arise in me and I walked towards the drawer to grab something. I felt a wooden stick and took it, not really knowing what it was or if it was liable enough for it to threaten the person looking through the fridge.

I brought the object up higher so I was able to hit the person with force. But then he turned around and when he saw me, he screamed. I screamed from him screaming. He then screamed again, following my scream. I brought my had up to my chest and let out a loud sigh when I figured out it was Edward. I turned on the light and saw him looking at me wide-eyed.

"Holy shit! You scared me," I yelled.

"I scared you? You're the one threatening me with a large wooden spoon."

I looked at my hand and saw that I was, indeed, holding a wooden spoon. I grabbed a _spoon_ so I could defend myself. Wow, that was so like me to do that. I set the spoon back in the drawer and leaned against the counter.

"So what are you doing up?" I asked.

"I couldn't sleep," He breathed. "I decided to eat some ice cream and watch TV. What about you?"

"Same here. Can I have some of that ice cream?" I nodded toward the tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in his hand.

"Sure. Grab some spoons will you?"

"Okay."

We sat on the couch, the tub in between us as we watched Gossip Girl. He wanted to watch CSI but I said that the victims are usually covered in blood so I'd rather not become nauseas while eating. He couldn't really deny that so he let me enjoy my show. I heard him murmur how I found the interest in the show. I rolled my eyes and relaxed as I ate my ice cream.

Lately, Edward had been acting weird. He wasn't around as much. And when he was, he would go in his room and not come out until some meal was ready. I didn't even hear him play the piano. Now that obviously told me something was wrong. I mean, when does Edward _not_ play the piano?

It was kind of rare when he would talk to me during a normal conversation. He would joke and laugh with me and his eyes would light up. It was times like this – where him and I would kick back and just chill. This hardly happened since mid July. Whenever we had moments like this, I tried to make it survive as long as possible.

I smiled at him as the TV screen shown light on his face. When he smiled his crooked smile at me, I swore I felt like I just saw something I haven't seen in years. It has been that long since he has been himself. I missed it, and so did Alice, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper. I just wish I knew what was making him so sad. At first I thought it was just the plan on making him jealous was working, but now, I don't know.

I dug my spoon into the bucket of ice cream and hit the bottom. I picked it up and looked inside only to find nothing was there. We finished a whole bucket of ice cream. I was going to notify Edward but then I heard deep breaths.

Edward was asleep and his head was rested on the armrest of the sofa. I turned off the TV and put the spoons and ice cream bucket away. After, I put his legs on the sofa and grabbed a blanket. When I started to put the blanket over him, he grabbed my waist and pulled me down with him. I didn't think he was even aware that I was tied down to the sofa by his arms.

I didn't want to wake him up by removing myself, so I lied down and put the blankets over us. With Edward's arms still around me, I snuggled into his chest and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and lifted my mouth to his ear.

"Goodnight, Edward," I whispered.

I set my head back down onto his chest and began to fall asleep. I hadn't fallen asleep in Edward's arms since we came to the apartment. I finally felt like I could get a good rest again. But I still wish I knew what was wrong with him. I wish he would tell me.

*****

**Edward's POV**

I wish I could tell her, I really did. But I just couldn't. What would she say if I told her I was down because I was in love with her and she loved some other guy? She would probably get freaked out and move out, and in with that pizza guy. I couldn't do that, if I couldn't have Bella more than a friend, than I would rather have her as only a friend. I couldn't loose her. She was everything to me.

The only people that knew of my affections for Bella were Jasper and my family. I told Jasper a few years ago – him being one of my good friends – and asked for advice. He just told me that we would end up together one day. How the hell does that help with anything? Alice only knew from intuition and Esme and Carlisle knew because . . . well, I don't know, they just knew. I'm pretty sure Emmett even knows, but I don't want to actually tell him. He is Bella's sister after all. And I treasure my life.

My eyes opened to the shining light coming through the windows. I found myself sprawled on the couch with my head rested on the armchair. I noticed that Bella was sleeping here with me. My arms wrapped around her and she was clutching onto my shirt. I looked at her; I looked at how peaceful she seemed to be. She was so beautiful and she just didn't realize it.

I pried her small fingers off the collar of my shirt and got of the couch. I wrapped the blanket around her body and quietly got up. I decided to let her sleep for a little longer since she told me that her first class was at noon, and it was only eight in the morning. Mine was at 11:30 – so I figured that I would drive her there and then meet once both of our classes are over with for the day. Well, that is unless that pizza guy drives her. God, I hate that guy.

After I took a shower and brushed my teeth, I made breakfast. I might as well have, seeing as Bella always does the cooking because I don't know too many recipes. However, I do make mean omelets. Which is really only one of the seven things I can actually make. But oh well.

The smell of eggs, cheese, ham and vegetables filled the kitchen room. The aroma made my stomach growl, and I tried to ignore the fact that I wanted to eat them already. I wanted to wait for Bella to wake up before I ate. That would be the gentleman thing to do.

I heard someone stifle a yawn, and then footsteps making their way to the kitchen. When I looked to my right, I saw Bella standing at the doorway in her pajamas and somewhat messy hair. Her eyes were half open and she stretched out her arms.

"Good morning," I greeted.

She yawned again. "Morning. What's for breakfast?"

"Omelets. Your favorite kind."

"Yum. Is it almost ready?"

"Just about . . ." I put the omelet on the plate and handed it to her. "Now."

"Thanks." Bella smiled softly and grabbed a fork from the drawer.

We ate in silence, and as soon as she was done she began washing her dishes. I stopped her just when she began to turn on the tap to rinse her plate. She looked at me questioningly and I smiled.

"I'll clean the dishes. You should got get cleaned up and dressed. We can leave when you want," I said.

"Oh okay." She bit her lip.

"Unless you don't want me to drive you. When is that pizz – Jacob picking you up?"

"He's not picking me up," Bella replied. "I would like it a lot if your drove me actually."

Bella smiled and then left the kitchen while I stood there smiling like an idiot while washing the dishes. I hated washing dishes. I was really only doing it because I felt bad about being a loser for the majority of our summer vacation. I hardly talked to her, and I missed it. When I wasn't here, I was on the beach not too far from here and stared out along the water. Now I had to make up for it and be the best friend I was so supposed to be. Even if being her best friend means supporting her relationship with someone else.

When I put the plates back in the cupboards, I went to my room and grabbed my backpack. While waiting for Bella I sat on the couch and watched CSI since last night I had to watch Gossip Girl. Seriously, what the hell does Bella see in that show?

I glanced at the clock, it was 11:00. We should be leaving by now. Just as I was about to knock on Bella's door and say when it was time to go, she stepped out of her room and I swore I felt my heart melt. She was wearing the simplest of outfits, but on her it looked exquisite. She wore a black tank top that read LOVE in black and silver sequins. Over top of that was a dark blue cardigan with the buttons undone. She then matched it with skinny jeans and flats. I still remember when Bella despised shopping, now she goes with Alice and Rosalie almost every weekend.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Yeah, let's go."

She nodded and we walked down to my Volvo. Bella couldn't bring her truck – thank God – so I'm really her only way around. Well, I _was_ her only way around; now she has pizza guy, too. Our car ride there wasn't silent. We were taking and laughing like we always did, and sang along to all of the songs on the radio. This was how it was before he came along.

When I parked my car in the parking lot, I felt the blistering heat as I stepped through the open door. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and started walking with Bella. When we had to go our separate ways, she waved goodbye to me. When she turned around, I caught her by her wrist. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow as I pulled her closer. I kissed her forehead lightly and hugged her. I hadn't done that in awhile.

"See you after class," I whispered.

"Y-yeah. I'll see you t-then," She stammered.

She bit her lip and began to blush. Bella turned around and started walking to her class. I stood there and then just realized what I did. What the freaking hell was that? She probably thought I was high or something. Shit, that was the last thing I wanted to her to think, that I was high and completely out of mind. Seriously, I should think before I actually act. I'm such an idiot!

I spun around and started to look for the room my class would be in.

*****

**Bella POV**

As I walked to class I kept my eyes on my feet to make sure I wouldn't fall on my first day. I've already fallen on my ass on the first day of school countless of times and I want to have a year where it doesn't happen on that particular day. Especially now since I'm in university. The thought is still nerve racking.

Just as I was about to walk into the door of my English Literary class I was pulled on the arm. I gasped and spun around swiftly. I sighed in relief when I saw that it was Jacob who grabbed me and not some pedophile. I readjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder as he let go of my arm.

"Hey, Jake," I greeted. "What's up?"

"Just finished my class. I was on my way to my car when I saw you and Edward. He kissed you, that's good. Well it was only on the forehead but that's progress right?"

"Yeah, it is. But it's so weird. We always used to hug each other and hold hands. He would kiss me on the cheek or forehead and put his arm around me. But ever since we moved here he hasn't done any of those things. I feel like he kissed me on the forehead for the first time when it really wasn't."

"So what you're saying is, is that he used to be all close to you until the day you moved in? Is that same day we met?"

"Yeah that was the day."

"Hmmm," He mumbled.

"What?" I questioned.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking to myself for a bit. Anyways, you better get to class before you get in shit. I'll see you around."

Jacob turned around and started stalking his way to the parking lot. I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about as I walked towards a desk along the aisle. I decided I would just ask him later after both my class and Edward's were done. I got comfortable in my seat, knowing that class was going to be long.

The thing about the first day of each class is that it's all introduction. Which means a sheet printed with the course outline, a little talking about the teacher and what is to be expected throughout the year. No matter how many times you have a new teacher and no matter how many times you had a new lesson, the introduction was pretty much the same thing: boring. I don't mean to be a total pessimist but it's the truth.

This class in particular had me watching the clock the whole time. I know that I want to major in English and that if I want to be a writer I should be paying attention it's just that I had to do something. If I were listen to the professor right now my eyelids would be drooping. No joke.

"Alright, class is dismissed and you are free to go. Don't forget to look over that course outline!" Professor O'Neil announced.

Everyone started flowing out of the room and the professor sat down at his desk reading papers. As I exited the school and made my way to the parking lot, I felt the warmth of the sun on my skin. I praised the warmth and vowed to myself to never move to somewhere wet or cold.

The closer I got to the Volvo, the closer I got to see Edward leaning on the car door with his leg crossed over the other and his arms across his chest. When he saw me, he smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. The sun was shining down on him and his hair danced in the light wind. He looked like a god, literally.

"Hey," He smiled.

"Hi. So how was your class?" I asked as he opened the car door for me.

"Not too bad," He shut the door for me and walked around to get to the driver's side. "But there is this girl in my class. I think her name is Lauren. Throughout that whole class she kept staring at me and flipping her hair. I felt like I was a cause of an intervention."

"That kind of reminds of that Jessica Stanley girl from when we were twelve. Is this Lauren girl better or worse?"

"Worse. Way worse. I'm going to need you to help me out again."

"No problem. Tell me what to do, and I'll do it," I promised.

"Awesome. So what are you doing when we get back?"

"I think I'm meeting Jake at his place. He said he wanted to show me something. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, um . . . no reason," He stammered. "I guess I'll drop you off now."

I knew damn well that there was a reason, but I wasn't going to nag it out of him. I was his best friend and I should just trust him. When I glanced at him his eyebrows were furrowed together and his mouth was pulled into a frown. I looked away and out the window.

The rest of the ride was silent. The only sound was the soft music playing in the background. I fiddled with my fingers and looked down. I wanted to tell him how I felt but I just had a feeling that he wouldn't feel the same way and would never speak to me again. Damn it! Why did he make me feel this way? Why did he make me feel like I could do anything with him and feel over the top happy when his presence was with me? Why?

The car came to a stop when we were in front of Jacob's apartment building. I got out of the car and turned around to lean onto the door.

"Thanks for the ride, Edward," I said softly.

"Yeah no problem." He replied flatly.

When I closed the door he sped out of the parking lot and down the street. I stood there and watched the road he was no longer on. I turned around slowly and pushed through the door and waited for the elevator. The bell went off when it came and I stepped inside. It felt like it was going to take forever for the elevator to get to the fifth floor. Or maybe it was just the fact that I was surrounded by mirrors and saw that the expression on my face held worry and anxiety.

I willingly got out of the elevator fast and walked down the hallway to Jacob and Emily's apartment. I knocked on the door rapidly until I heard the doorknob twist. I brought my hands into my pocket when I saw Jacob at the doorstep. He welcomed me in and we both sat opposite the coffee table. I leaned my elbows onto my knees and waited for Jacob to bring some coffee.

I looked up when Jacob came in with two mugs of coffee. He set one in front of me and one in front of himself. I took a sip of mine and cleared my throat as I placed the mug back on the table.

"So, Jake. What's the plan for today?" I asked.

Jacob's usual happy face was anything but. He looked distressed – his eyebrows ere furrowed together and his lips were pursed into a straight line. He didn't look at me and was staring at the floor. I knew something was wrong, I just didn't know what.

"Is something the matter? Did something happen with Emily?"

"No," He replied bluntly. "Emily and I are fine."

"Then tell me what's ticking you off," I demanded.

He sighed, still not meeting my eyes. He shoved his hands into his pockets and bit his lip. "I'm not going to help you make Edward jealous anymore. You're on your own."

I was officially confused. "What? Why?"

"I just don't think that you need my help, that's all," I raised my eyebrow and waited for him to continue. "You don't get it, do you?"

"What am I supposed to get?"

"Edward already has feelings for you."

"Yeah, because you've been helping me make him jealous," I retorted.

"That's not what I meant. Don't you see? Even before all of this, he had feelings for you. The first time I met you and shook your hand, he hated me because I touched you. He's always so protective of you and looks at you like you're an angel."

"I'm not comprehending."

Jacob shook his head and finally looked at me. "You're a smart girl, Bella. I can't believe you don't see it."

"See what?!" I yelled.

"He's in love with you! Edward loves you just as much as you love him. You never needed my help, he loved you from the start."

I couldn't believe this. Edward couldn't love me, I wasn't good enough for him. I shook my head at Jacob and walked out of his apartment and onto the street. The afternoon wind was blowing against my skin, and I heard the necklace on my neck jingle from it. I crossed my arms over my chest as I walked.

I didn't want to go back to the apartment. I needed to think things through before I went back. To be honest, I really didn't know where I was going – I just kept on walking straight ahead. I didn't even look up from the ground.

The next thing I knew, I was walking on sand. I looked up to see the orange and pink in the sky as the sun was setting. The water was sparkling from the reflection of the light as it shown down on the currents. No one else was on the beach besides me, except for one person.

The person was male. His bronze hair was dancing in the wind and his hands were in his pockets. From a side view I could see that he was very handsome – a sharp jaw line, high cheekbones, full lips and eyes so green they looked like emeralds. It was the same color as the jewel that hung on the chain of my necklace.

It was Edward. What was he doing here?

He was looking out into the water as he kicked the sand with his feet. Before I even realized what I was doing, I started walking towards him. It was like my body had a mind of its own – it was like being pulled by an invisible rope.

_I should just tell him_, I thought to my self. _I'll never know how he feels unless I try_.

Edward didn't know that I was on the beach, too. He just kept on watching the sunset. I walked slowly; mostly because I was prepping myself on what I should say. Why was I so nervous? He's my best friend, I talked to him all the time. What was so different about this moment than before? It's just that I've never told him my true feelings for him before – that was the difference.

"Edward!" I yelled.

I yelled his name again. The third time I called his name, he turned around. I began to run towards him.

* * *

**I just noticed that the last time I updated was in the beginning of March, and now it's March 24th and I'm only updating now. I am so sorry! For some people who think I have given up on this story, that's is not true. I absolutely love writing this story ad won't stop until it's finished. It will just take a little while for me to update because it's the time of year where my schedule is hectic because of dance competitions and school. But keep reading the story because I'm going to keep on writing it!**

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Phone Call

Edward's POV

This was sort of like the dream I had when I was fifteen. I was older, taller and more mature. I was in the same setting – the California beach, me watching the sunset and kicking the soft sand lightly. Except the only difference now was that Bella wasn't with me. And as the days went by, the more I wanted to tell her I loved her, the more I knew that she wouldn't love me anymore than just a friend.

A dream is a wish your heart makes . . . my ass.

I felt kind of pathetic, sulking about my failed love life. I mean, I have had girlfriends before but nothing compared to the way I felt about Bella. What was even worse was knowing that I was too much of a wimp to even tell her, knowing that the feeling would never go away.

I closed my eyes as the breeze bit my skin. The waves were like music, swooshing and swishing along the shore. I was the only one on the beach and that was partly the reason I was here right now. I began to hear someone calling my name from afar. I ignored it, thinking that it was my mind playing tricks on me. The voice called again and it was closer this time. The third time it yelled, I knew someone was here with me.

I whipped around with my hands still in my pockets. I searched, looking for wherever the voice came from. I turned to my right and saw a girl running towards me. She had soft brown hair and a gentle face. I knew who it was when I caught a glimpse of chocolate brown eyes. It twinkled in the light and her pink lips smiled.

I stood there dumbfounded. She came to a stop when she was right in front of me. She had a slight blush along her cheeks. Whenever she looked at me, it was almost like she could see inside of me. Like, she knew the best things about me and the worst things didn't even matter to her. I loved that she knew me so well; it made me feel whole.

"Hey, Bella. What are you doing here?"

She took my hand and held it in both of hers and looked at them. "Edward, I have something to tell you. And I don't know how you're going to react to it."

"Tell me. You can tell me everything," I assured her.

"I think," She sighed as she brought her gaze up to meet my eyes. "I think that I'm in love with you," She whispered.

I felt a smile form on my lips after she said that. I knew this wasn't a dream and that this was actually happening. I leaned in, closer and closer. Bella leaned in, too and closed her eyes. I closed my eyes as well when I felt my lips make contact with hers. Her lips were warm and soft as they brushed against mine.

I had to make a correction to my thoughts from earlier. This wasn't sort of like the dream I had when I was fifteen; it was _exactly_ like it. I would never forget this moment. It was the moment that Bella told me she loved me, and it was the moment she knew I returned that love.

Another correction: A dream _is_ a wish your heart makes . . . I will never insult Cinderella again.

*****

Bella's POV

My dreams did not do reality justice. Not a little bit, not even close. I dreamt that my first kiss with Edward would be magical. But actually living it had no words to describe it. Or rather, all wonderful words would simply be an understatement. I've wanted to kiss him for so long that I could say _finally._ But that would be absolutely and positively cliché.

Okay, so technically this wasn't even my first kiss with Edward; it was my second. However this was our first _real _kiss, and that seemed like more of the first time instead of the second. I felt like I was in heaven, and I felt like I was in some mushy love story. Either way, it was like I was on could nine.

His hand caressed my cheek as our lips moved together; his other hand was on the small of my back, creating soothing circles. My hand made it to the back of his neck while the other tangled in his soft hair. He brushed his lips once more before he pulled away. I felt the heat spread across my cheeks as I looked up at him. He smiled widely, making me smile too.

As I looked into his eyes, I couldn't deny how beautiful they were. His eyes were a pure green. No other flecks of colors and not a darker green on the outside to a lighter green on the inside. His eyes were just emerald green, and nothing else. He was just so gorgeous, and I couldn't believe he just kissed me. This, this_ god_ had just kissed me.

"I love you, Bella. I have for a long time," He whispered.

"For how long?"

"I think I've always loved you. Even when we were little, I couldn't stand to be away from you. I would always get so excited when I saw you and then cry when we had to leave. I really only figured it out when we were about fifteen, during the time I was living with you. My love for you was always there, it just took me a while to figure it out."

I giggled softly, and looked down.

"What's so funny?" He asked curiously.

"Not funny, haha," I corrected. "It's just that I found out I was in love with you when you lived with us. Kind of ironic, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't say ironic. More or rather, it's almost like fate. Maybe it was fate that brought us together. Maybe fate was the one who made us realize our true feelings at the same time. And maybe, maybe it was fate that brought us here right now. Finally together."

"You know, if it weren't for your low grade in English, I would have thought you wrote that," I teased.

"Hey, not all of us can be an English major," He laughed. "I'm just saying that throughout all of the time we've spent together, we actually ended up together."

"That's true. I'm so happy, Edward. I've wanted to tell you for such a long time that I loved you. I just didn't think that you would feel the same way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, look at you! You're gorgeous and absolutely amazing both inside and out. Whereas I am completely and utterly plain and have the personality of a wall," I explain.

He gave me a shocked look. "Is that what you think you are?"

I nodded my head.

"Isabella Marie," He started. "You are not what you think you are. You are so beautiful, it hurts me sometimes. You stand out of a crowd just when you smile. You trance people when you start talking, and are so easy to be around. I'm not the 'gorgeous one' or the one that's amazing 'both inside and out'. That's you. And if you ever deny it, I will find a way to implant the truth in your head.

"Thank you, Edward. I still don't really believe it, but I appreciate you for saying it."

"I'll find some way to get you to realize how wonderful you are. Just you wait."

"Well then, you better have a lot of energy. Because it's going to take a very long time for you to get me to realize it." I challenged.

He laughed and took my hand. We sat down on the sand and watched the rest of the sunset. His arm was around me and my head rested on his shoulder. I took in a deep breath, catching Edward's sweet scent. I don't know what the boy used – and for sure I knew it wasn't cologne, he hates that – but he smelled wonderful. I snuggled my face in the crook of his neck and smiled.

I heard him sigh as he kissed the top of my head and embracing me once more.

*****

I woke up to the bright light coming through the window. I pair of warm arms was wrapped around me. I tried to get out of bed but the arms tightened their grip around me. I laughed softly and turned onto my other side to be eye level with Edward's chest. I kissed his jaw before attempting at getting up again. It didn't work, he only held me tighter.

"Edward," I breathed. "You can let go you know, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to go get ready and make some breakfast."

"I don't want you to get up yet. I want you to stay here with me," He grumbled.

"As tempting as that sounds, I really need to get ready. It's either that, or you don't get food until lunch."

He immediately let go of me. I chuckled as I shot out of the bed and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. After applying some makeup, I tried to manage my disaster of hair. It was messed up – full of tangles and was sticking out just about everywhere. I brushed it, and fortunately it tamed down. My outfit contained of skinny jeans, flats and a tank top with flutter ruffle sleeves and a belt tied below the bust.

With one more glance at the mirror to make sure I was ready, I walked down to the kitchen. I rummaged through the fridge, not really knowing what to make. I really had to do the groceries, but I would do that later. I pulled out some eggs, seeing as how that was the only breakfast food we actually had; we didn't even have any more cereal. After scrambling the eggs and putting them on two plates, I set them on the table. I brought out my English textbook and began to read the pages that were assigned while eating.

Muffled footsteps came from down the hallway and into the room. I looked up from my textbook and smiled as Edward made his way to the table. His hair was in disarray and he was still clad in a t-shirt and pajama pants. He stifled a yawn as he sat down and picked up his fork. He rubbed his eyes and began to eat.

"Morning," He greeted.

"Glad to see you finally made it out of bed. I knew the smell of food would wake you up. You're just as bad as Emmett!"

"Funny," He smiled. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Well, I have to make a trip to the grocery store. We are in dire need of some food. I don't know if you noticed but our fridge and pantry are almost empty. I'm going in fifteen minutes."

I saw a frown tugging on Edward's lips. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I won't be gone for long, Edward; merely half an hour or so. I'll be back soon enough," I reassured him.

"Good. I don't want you to be away from me. I'll miss you too much."

I smiled. "Did I ever tell you that you're an amazing boyfriend?"

"Yes. But I wouldn't mind to hear it again," He teased.

I rolled my eyes at him and put my plate in the sink. "Okay, well I'm going now. I'll see you soon."

I walked over to him and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. I grabbed my purse from the counter and walked out the door, locking it behind me. When I got into my car, I drove to the grocery store. I tapped my fingers on the wheel to the beat of the music. I heard my phone vibrate before the ring tone went on.

"_Cause if you're not really here,_

_then the stars don't even matter._

_And now I'm filled to the top with fear,_

_And it's all just a bunch of matter._

_Cause if you're not really here,_

_Then I don't wanna be eith –"_

I looked at the caller ID before flipping the phone open and bringing it to my ear. "Hey, Alice."

*****

Edward's POV

I don't know how I got this lucky, to have a girl like Bella. Not only was she my best friend, but she was my girlfriend too. Yeah I know – I am so whipped. I just have to make sure that Emmett and Jasper didn't know or else they wouldn't let me forget it. And I especially can't let Alice or Rosalie know because they also wouldn't let me forget it _and_ they would start saying all that mushy stuff in front of my face. I can handle High School Musical, but I absolutely cannot handle the four of them bugging me about being in love with Bella.

However, they have known about Bella and I being official since the day after the beach, which was around two weeks ago. It didn't really change how we all acted towards each other and that was fine with me. Rosalie was still being confident, Alice was still overly hyper, Jasper was calm, Bella was sensible and Emmett was still the dumb ass. Yeah, we were a couple of swells.

I tried to tame my mess of hair but nothing seemed to work. Nothing ever worked. It was almost like my hair was rebelling against me. _Way to make a metaphor, Edward_. I shook my head and pulled a shirt over my head and slipped on dark washed jeans. Bella said she would be back in around half an hour, and I only wasted ten minutes. What the hell was I supposed to do with the left over twenty minutes?

I was so lost without Bella. Literally.

I walked over to the couch and slouched in the cushions. My arm was spread along the top and my feet were on the coffee table. I turned on the TV and started flipping channels. Nothing was on! News. Food Channel. What Not To Wear. Will & Grace. MTV. Dr. Phil. Cory In the House. Drake and Josh. Criminal Minds. 90210. Oprah.

The universe, obviously, was not on my side.

Getting of the couch, I made my way to my piano. I was still writing that song I was composing for Bella from three years ago. I had the guitar chords and the lyrics down, but I still needed some of the piano chords. It was unbelievably hard. Usually, composing would be so easy because I would let my fingers flow along the keys and then write it down. I don't know why it was so hard now. Damn.

I closed my eyes and let my fingers glide along the keys. I listened, and nothing good enough came. Then, I played a plethora of different notes, and it sounded right. It would go perfectly with the guitar and the mood of the song. I began writing the notes in the music journal Bella had gotten me for Christmas that one year. The pencil fell to the floor as I jumped. My phone started to buzz in my pocket. I grumbled and pulled it out of my pocket. The caller ID read Emmett.

"What is it, Em? I was just in the middle of a work of music here," I said sternly.

The other end of the phone was silent. I could just hear heavy breathing and faint crying coming from the background.

"Emmett? What's going on? Emmett!"

"Edward, oh my God," He said breathlessly.

"Tell me what the hell is happening."

"There's been an accident. We are in the hospital right now."

"Who was involved?" I asked more worriedly.

The answer he gave me made me get to my car and speed down the road to the hospital.

* * *

**Okay, I updated a little faster than I usually do! Yay! I know this is a short chapter but this was all I could write for this one. It was either write what was to be needed or write the whole thing. Which would have been like twenty pages long. I don't want to do that to you guys - I want you to be anxious on what's going to be happening next.**

**I also updated a little earlier because I'll be flying to Vancouver for a dance competition. Hmm, maybe I'll see some of the Twilight - or should I say New Moon - cast there. A girl can dream!**

**Anyways, please review! That would be awesome : )**

**_This was the song used for Bella's ring tone:_**

**_Song - Black and Gold_**

**_Artist - Sam Sparro_**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Need

Edward's POV

I heard the engine of my car accelerate as I raced down the road.

All I could think was, _I need to go to he hospital_. This wasn't like in the movies where the actor drives to the hospital because of an 'emergency'. No. This was reality, and there was an actual emergency containing injuries that weren't created with makeup or props. For all I knew, that person could practically be on their deathbed and I wouldn't be there because I was driving behind slow drivers.

I needed to get to hospital _now_.

Damn. Why the hell is everybody driving at 12:30 on a freaking Sunday? People should be relaxing at home or at the mall, instead of being on this road and _in my way_. Help a guy out won't you?

My fingers tap the steering wheel impatiently. The sounds of other cars honking was pissing me off, it was as if one car honked that the other cars had to as well. I switched lanes only to see that ahead of me was more traffic, and the cause was so stupid too. A parade was going on. God dammit! Did no one give a shit that I had to get to the hospital right now? I mean come on! I was already cussing like nobody's business; did they want me to explode in their faces, too?

It seemed like I had no other choice. I sighed and spun the wheel to the right. I drove along the sidewalk where people started screaming and getting out of the way. That's what the cars ahead of me should have done before it came down to this. I was definitely speeding and I heard multiple swears, both English and foreign. Well, they would just have to suck it up because I was in hurry and if they got in my way I would just run over them. Okay not really, I would pass by them and give them the damn finger.

I made it to the intersection, which was where the parade was being held. There were crossing guards and not policemen, thank God. I still had a chance. I pushed the pedal down with my foot and clutched the wheel with both hands. I was heading straight ahead to the other side of the road when all of a sudden I see a giant turkey balloon on top of a float through my peripheral vision. You have got to be kidding. I was going to be crushed by a goddamn turkey. Well, fuck.

I spin the steering wheel to the left and I hear the wheels on the car squeal from the motion. I go faster, so that guards don't get the chance to write down my plate number and get me fined. I was not in the mood to pay anything. I just had one destination and they were only in my way. So they could kiss my ass.

Once I crossed the other side, I was relieved that I saw barely any cars on the road. It wouldn't be too long until I got to the hospital. I knew a shortcut – I learned it from all the times I had to drive Bella to the hospital. I made many turns and drove through an alleyway instead of going around the whole block. I drove straight until the hospital came into view. I sped to the parking spot I found and parked without even making sure the car was parked straight.

I got out and locked the doors before running through the automatic doors the hospital had. The air conditioning enveloped me as I ran down the halls. I saw the information desk and made my way to it. There was a small lady behind the desk with curly, light brown hair. She was no older than eighteen and was typing on the computer like a maniac.

"Excuse me miss . . ." I looked at her nametag, "Stanley. Could you possibly direct me to whichever room my friends are?"

"Sure thing," She looked up at me and for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed together and then her eyes were wide and a smile played across her face. "Oh my God! Edward, Edward Cullen?"

"Uh, yes. Do I know you?"

"It's me, Jessica Stanley. We used to go to school together until you um, got kicked out."

No way. Not the Jessica Stanley who would obsess over me and not take the hint that I didn't like her back. Oh, please no.

"Oh, uh, yeah! It's nice to see you again Jessica. But could you possibly help me? I'm in a hurry."

"Of course! Now, who are you looking for?" She asked nicely.

I told her the name and she nodded. She started typing on the computer in search of the name given. She stopped and looked at me, stilling grinning like I remember a while back.

"I'm sorry, Edward but no one is allowed in the room at this moment. You have to come back at around three."

That was not going to happen. I sighed and put on my charm. "Could you please, possibly just let me through? I'm really worried and it would be so kind of you if you did this for me." I looked at her was a sincere smile.

"Oh, s-sure. No problem. Just go to room 302. Take the elevator to the third floor and it should be the second room on your left," She stammered.

"Thanks," I said politely.

I turned and ran down the hallway to the nearest elevator. It came quickly so I stepped inside and pressed the level 3 button. Elevator music played in the background and I just wanted to crush the speakers. Not only was I not in the mood because of Jessica, but also the music was utterly terrible. The elevator bell went off and the doors opened. I walked out and looked to my left. Outside, I saw three people sitting on a bench.

The third girl looked up and I saw her eyes were red from crying and tears still streaming down her cheeks. I ran over to her and embraced her. I felt her sobbing and I stroked her hair. I sat down on the bench and brought her up so she could sit my lap. She buried her face in the crook of my neck and clutched my shirt.

"Bella, sh, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay," I assured her. From my side I could hear Rosalie and Emmett talking in hushed voices.

"I really hope so. But, God, Edward. I heard everything on the phone," She whispered.

"What do you mean?" Bella didn't respond, so I held her tighter. "Tell me. You know you can trust me."

She sighed. "I was on my way to the grocery store when my phone started to ring. I answered it once I saw the caller ID read Alice. She was telling me how she was planning on having a dinner party in a week, and that she wanted everything to be perfect. She wouldn't tell me why and only said that I would appreciate it later. I was telling her that if she needed anything I would be glad to help, but she refused. She said that all I had to do was show up. I said that if I show up that I had to at least do something. She retorted by saying that what I said was a typical Bella and she started laughing. But then . . ."

She shivered and more tears came. She covered her mouth with her hand and shut her eyes.

"Then what, Bella? Don't be afraid, I'll be here to hold you as you tell me," I said to her gently.

She pursed her lips and took a deep breath. She didn't look at me this time. She looked at her hands.

"I heard screaming. It wasn't just from Alice, but also from Jasper. I heard the tires screeching along the road and deep breathing. Metal was screaming as they moved along each other. I heard thuds and a grunt from Alice. I could hear the glass shattering and Jasper's heavy breathing from the other line. There were more thuds, and it sounded like it was coming from everywhere – the top, the sides the bottom. And then, the line went dead."

Bella started to tremble and I held her against my chest harder. Rocking in a back and forth motion, as I rubbed soothing circles along her back. I kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. She let go of my shirt and then looked at me. Her brown eyes were filled with tears and I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand seeing her cry.

I didn't want to make Bella cry anymore so I turned my head to Rosalie and Emmett. Em had his wrapped around Rose and her head was on his shoulder. I could see that Rose was crying before, but not anymore.

"How bad are they?" I asked.

Rose brought her head up to look at me. "Both are injured. But Alice was lucky. She got six stitches on her left forearm and a minor concussion. It's Jasper who suffered the most."

"What are his injures?" I managed to ask, but was afraid of the answer.

Rose couldn't reply she only rested her head back on Emmett's shoulder. "Damn, Edward. It's really bad," He shook his head. "He has a broken leg and stitches on his other. He has a dislocated shoulder and two fractured ribs to match. And he is practically painted with bruises all over. He was unconscious the moment the car stopped."

I stared at him wide-eyed and then turned my gaze to the door of room 302. I pursed my lips and sighed. I could hear the doctor talking and my sister's usually bright voice, sad and hoarse instead. I wanted to be inside that room. I wanted to comfort her and Jasper. I wanted to help. But I knew that my dad being a doctor was not enough medical experience for me to do anything. So I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes.

I didn't want to fall asleep. Not that I could, anyways. The only thing that was running through my mind was the injuries that I heard and what Bella had experienced through the phone. I heard the door open and I immediately opened my eyes. The doctor was coming through and shut the door quietly. He walked toward us and stopped when he was standing right in front of the bench we were currently sitting on.

"You are able to go in now," He explained. "But you must be quiet and not disturb his resting. Alice is sitting in the chair beside the bed and hasn't eaten or drank anything since she got here. It would be great if one of you could convince her to ingest something."

We all nodded our heads and he smiled at us once before walking away. We got up, Emmett in front of us. Rosalie had her arms cross over her chest and her shoulders slump. I held on the Bella's hand as she looked down. Emmett pushed through the door and held it open for us to get in. We surrounded the bed and saw Jasper.

My eyes were wide. He looked gruesome, to say the least. Emmett was right; he was literally covered in bruises. The heart monitor kept on beeping at a steady motion, which we were all grateful for. I noticed that I wasn't holding onto Bella's hand anymore so I scanned the room. I saw her hugging Alice and letting her cry on her shoulder. She was rubbing her back and let go when Rose hugged her as well. Emmett patted her shoulder and was careful not to touch her stitches, which was covered with a gauze.

I walked over to my sister and couldn't feel more of a brother than I already acted. I just wanted to give her the teddy bear she always used to have when she was little and give her vanilla ice cream – which was her favorite. She looked at me with sad eyes and I couldn't help but feel so vulnerable. Sure, she wasn't nearly as injured as Jasper, but I knew that she loved him so much. And seeing him like this was killing her inside.

I wrapped my arms around her small frame and let her cry into my shirt – might as well anyway; it was already stained with Bella's tears. She sniffed before she let go of me. I held onto her shoulders and made her look at me.

"When was the last time you ate or drank anything, Al?" I asked.

"Um, I don't know. 9:30?" She answered, but it sounded more like a question.

"You need to eat. It's already three in the afternoon."

"I don't know if I should . . ." her eyes wondered over to Jasper and then back to me.

"Alice, I'm still your older brother and have some authority over you. You must eat. Jasper will be fine. Bella, Rose and Emmett are here with him and won't leave until you come back. Plus, Jasper is a fighter and he will recover," I assured her.

She didn't respond at first, and I knew that she was contemplating on whether or not to leave for food. She sighed and then walked over to Bella.

"You'll take care of him, right?" She whispered.

"I promise, Al. You know you can trust me," Bella replied.

Alice gave a light smile and turned to Rosalie. "And you'll make sure that Emmett doesn't fool around?"

"I always do," She smiled.

Alice nodded and then walked over to me. She was so small, she had to look up at me while I looked down. "Okay, let's go get something to eat."

I nodded and led her out the door. I looked at Bella one last time and saw she wasn't crying anymore as she gave me a small smile. I grinned at her before shutting the door behind us. We took the elevator to the food court; neither one of us were talking. I knew she wasn't in the mood, and I didn't want to push it. I wrapped an arm over her shoulders as we walked towards the food court. Alice started to walk towards Subway when I stopped her by holding onto her wrist. She gave me a questioning look.

"I thought you said we were going to get something to eat," She said, with a hint of confusion tainting her voice.

"Oh, we are," She titled her head to the side. "But not there. I have a different place in mind."

"Okay then," She breathed.

I brought her over to Haagen-Dazs and walked to the cashier. I saw her eyeing the vanilla ice cream with hunger and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Welcome to Haagen-Dazs. How may I help you?" A young boy asked.

"I'll have one scoop of rocky road in a cone and two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone," I answered.

"Okay, and is that all?" I nodded. "Your total is $8.32." I gave him the money and nodded my head once before walking over to Alice.

"Two scoops?" She asked.

"Well for one, you haven't eaten in nearly six hours. And second, I know vanilla is your all time favorite." I smiled at her.

"Thanks, Edward."

"No problem."

The boy came back with our ice cream and we took it without hesitation. We found a table and sat down. Alice was practically swallowing her ice cream whole. She finished before I did, and I wasn't even done the ice cream part yet. I stared at her in amazement. It was incredible how someone so small could ingest so much in such little time. She let out a light laugh but then frowned again when she caught sight of her stitches. I looked at her sympathetically.

"Alice," She looked up front her arm. "Do you mind me asking what happened? I was a little late getting here so I don't really know the entire story."

"I don't mind. You're my brother, Edward. I tell you everything anyways."

"True."

She looked back down to her arm. "We were just driving back from the mall. I had to get some things from that dinner party Jasper and I were planning a week from now, which I'm sure Bella told you about already," I nodded. "She probably also told you how I called her and invited both you and her to the party. We were joking around when all of a sudden I catch a car swerving from the corner of my eye. It drives into our lane and hits us head on. Glass shatters, and the car caved us as it rolled. Jasper hovered over me – as you can see, I'm not nearly as bad as him. In the end, the car was upside down and Jasper was in the worst state I had ever seen. I don't know who called the ambulance, but all I know was that I heard sirens. And then, we ended up here," She explained.

"Jasper is going to be okay. I already told you, he is a fighter. And he would never leave you," I whispered.

She nodded her head, still looking at her arm. I stood up from the table hovered over her.

"Okay, I think we can go back to the room now."

Alice stood up and we walked back to room 302. It wasn't as quiet this time. We talked a little bit more, but I still didn't want to force her into saying anything. She told me that the dinner party wasn't cancelled, just postponed. Only Alice would never abandon a party. She only told me that the party was for Bella but wouldn't tell me why. She then made me swear not to tell Bella that the party was for her.

When we walked back into the room, Alice went straight for the chair beside the bed. She held onto Jasper's hand and kissed it lightly. The nurse then came in and told us that visiting hours were over, even if I was family – well to Alice anyway. She wouldn't even accept that, and said only family of Jasper was allowed and that Alice was the only one able to stay.

We headed out and drove back to the apartment. It was getting late, and when I looked over to Bella, her eyes were closed. I chuckled and lifted her up. I carried her up to our room and put her softly on the bed. I kissed her forehead before making her some dinner for when she woke up.

*****

Bella's POV

"_Hey, Alice" I greeted._

"_Bella! Jazz and I are having a dinner party a week from now and we want you and Edward to come. What do you say?"_

"_I say that sounds like fun," I turned the steering wheel to the left. "Do you need me to do anything? I'd be more than happy if I could."_

"_No! I-I mean, no need for that. Jazz and I will be fine. All you have to do is show up with Edward by your side," She rushed._

"_The only way I'm showing up is if I do at least one thing, Al."_

"_Okay, fine! You can bring salad. Happy now?"_

"_Very," I smiled._

"_That's is such a typical Bella," She laughed._

"_You better believe it," I laughed as well._

"_Oh my God! Jasper watch out!" Alice screamed on the other line._

_There was more screaming. I could hear the tires coming to a screeching stop and then, there was silence. All I could hear was Alice's heavy breathing. But that wasn't the end. There was thudding and painful grunts. I heard the glass breaking and metal screeching. It sounded terrible. By this time I had parked off to the side of the road, looking wide-eyed out the window. The sounds didn't stop, it sounded like the car was moving so much. And the screaming, oh my, the screaming was horrid._

_It was quiet for a while. I could only hear Alice's slight whimpers and she was saying words I couldn't figure out. And then . . . nothing._

"_Alice?" I waited. "Alice! Alice, answer me! What the hell is going on?"_

_The line went silent._

"_Alice!"_

I woke up to Edward stroking my hair and holding me against his chest. I felt my forehead matted with sweat and my hands were trembling. Edward was still holding onto me, which I was grateful for. How could a wonderful morning transition to such a terrible outcome of the day? It just didn't make sense. I slowly calmed down and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay, love?" Edward asked.

"Yes," I squeaked. "I just had a bad dream."

"Was it about the accident?"

I looked up at him. "How did you know."

"Bella, you of all people should know that you talk in your sleep," He teased. I blushed a light shade of pink. "And you kept on screaming Alice's name and were tossing and turning. Which is why I came back to see what was wrong."

"Oh. What time is it?"

"Um, around 8:30. You've been asleep for around two hours. I made you something for dinner, do you want to eat?"

I nodded my head and got off the bed. Edward led me to the dinner table and placed a bowl full of cereal. I laughed softly and looked at him. I gave him a confused expression, moving my eyes to the cereal and then back to him. He blushed slightly and bit his lip.

"Well, I was going to make you mushroom ravioli, but that only resulted in an epic fail. Seriously, when you're sick and want soup, I advise that you get someone else to make it. The only thing I can make is omelets but I didn't think you wanted that. So hence, the cereal sitting on the table."

I smiled before leaning into him and brushing my lips against his. I settled back into my seat and saw him grinning at me. I held his hand and squeezed it.

"I appreciate it, Edward. I appreciate anything you do for me. Besides, I can't expect much when you're the chef. Or else it might just end up like the gingerbread house catastrophe. We don't want that," I laughed.

"If I remember correctly, you had a part in that too."

"Yes but there's a difference. I can now make a fantastic cake and there you are, failing at making ravioli. So which means, I win!"

"Shut up," he teased. "Now eat your cereal and thank me for it."

"Thanks, Edward. But just remember – no matter what you beat me at, I will always own you in the kitchen.

He rolled his eyes and then began to eat his Fruit Loops. I ate mine fast. I didn't even know I was hungry until I put the first spoonful into my mouth. But I guess I should be hungry, it had been nine hours since I consumed something. I stood up from the table and brought both of our empty bowls to the sink and clean them. I started humming a song when I began to dry the bowls. I felt something warm wrap around my waist and I giggled.

I looked over my right shoulder, where Edward was smiling down at me. He kissed my right temple and hugged me tighter. I heard his phone then ring and he groaned. He let go of me to reach his cell phone out of his pocket.

"I have to get this, I'll be right back." I nodded and then he stalked out of the room.

I put away the dishes and walked over to the couch. I turned on the TV and started surfing the channels. Nothing was on, so I settled for Grey's Anatomy. I was so engrossed with what was going on in the episode that I didn't even realize Edward came back until I felt his arm wrap around my shoulders. I rested my head on his shoulder, still watching the show.

"So, who was that?" I asked.

"That was Alice."

"Oh, what did she say? Is there something going on?"

"No, no," He smiled. "Nothing bad is happening. She just said that Jasper has woken up and should be out of the hospital in a couple of days."

"That's great!"

"She also asked if you could grab her assignments. She told me to write down the classes she has and on which days they are for you." He handed me a piece of paper written in his elegant script.

"Okay, that won't be a problem," I looked at the clock and then folded the paper. "I better get to bed. I have class tomorrow at ten in the morning and I don't want to be late or tired for class."

I kissed him on the lips softly before standing up.

"Night, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella," He replied.

I walked to the washroom to change into my sweats and a t-shirt, and then brushed my teeth. I brushed my hair quickly and then left to go to bed. I brought the blankets over me and covered it passed my shoulders. I could hear Edward turning off everything in the kitchen and in the living room. His footsteps were coming closer, but then turned to the bathroom. He then came into the room with pajama bottoms and no shirt. I took a deep breath and then shut my eyes when I felt Edward's arms wrap around me.

A nice, calm dream was what I needed. And thank God that's what I got tonight.

*****

My alarm went off and I moaned as I searched for the snooze button. When I pressed the button, I stuffed the pillow in my face, not wanting to get up. Unwillingly, I got out of bed and got ready. I opened the closet quietly so I wouldn't wake up Edward. I searched through the hangers thinking of what to wear. When I found what to wear, I slipped it on and went to the washroom.

I brushed my teeth to get rid of the morning breath and brushed my hair. I put a headband in my hair and then fixed my bangs. I applied my light makeup and grabbed my iPod from the sink. Why it was there, I had no idea. But my best guess was that Edward was listening to it and left it there, then forgetting it in the process. That would be so Edward.

I made myself a breakfast burrito and one for Edward. I left a note for him so that he would know that it was his breakfast. He wasn't the brightest in the morning . . . But who was? I grabbed my purse and my keys and left through the door. I took the elevator down to the lobby and greeted Garrett, who was the secretary of the apartment. When I entered the parking lot, I saw Rosalie leaning against her M3 with the hood down. She caught sight of me and walked over to give me a hug.

Rose and I had class at the same time, so she always drove me on Mondays. We got in the car and headed for Starbucks for some coffee. When we got our orders, Rose drove us to the university. We were singing to songs on the radio like we always did, even in Phoenix. When she parked the car we both stepped out and went to our separate classes.

When I walked into the room, I saw Angela Weber already in her seat. She sat next to me in this class and was a nice person to talk to. I got in my seat and set my purse to my side. I turned so that I was facing Angela and gave her a warm smile.

"Hey, Bella. I heard about the accident. How are they?" Angela asked, concern all over her voice.

"Well Jasper is doing better than we thought, but has to stay in the hospital for a few days. Alice is staying with him until he gets out. Other than that, they should be fine."

"That's good. I was worried that they suffered a life threatening injury."

"Yeah so did we. But we're glad to know that they will be okay," I answered.

She nodded her head and then sat up straight when the professor walked in. I turned facing directly toward the front of room and waited for him to start the lesson. He opened his brief case and took out a pile of papers. He thenstepped in front of his desk with a smug smile on his face.

"Today, we'll be having a pop quiz," He announced.

Everybody groaned. Especially me, because I hadn't gone over the previous lesson because of the unfortunate mishap yesterday.

Well, this was going to be a long class.

*****

When the professor said that class was over and it was time to turn in our tests, I was more than relieved. I walked down the aisle of desks and handed him my paper. I nodded once towards him and then walked out of the room. I let out a deep breath before walking towards Rosalie's car. When I got there, I saw her reading her textbook and leaning against the car door. I tiptoed in her direction quietly, she still didn't notice me.

"Boo!" I yelled.

She jumped and clutched the book to her chest. "Holy shit, Bella! You scared the living crap out of me."

"I know. That was the whole intention of 'boo!'" I teased. She rolled her eyes and closed her textbook. "You must have been studying really hard, because I always fail when I try to scare you."

"I was. I was going over the parts of a car," She informed me.

"Haven't you known the parts of car since, I don't know, seventh grade?"

"Yeah. But there's a hands on test and I want to make sure I do well."

"Whoa, am I hearing this right? Rosalie Hale is actually going over facts she already knows for a test?" I teased.

"Oh hush. We all mature sooner or later," We got inside her car and Rose started the engine. "Did you get Alice's assignments?"

"Yup. It's all in here," I pointed to my purse.

"Awesome. Now let's get back." I nodded my head as she drove out of the parking lot.

*****

Rose came over to my apartment since Emmett was already there. I unlocked the door and found Edward on the couch, watching a Paramore music video on MTV. I walked behind him and then wrapped arms around him.

"Hey," He smiled.

"Hey, to you too. Where's Emmett?"

"He was just making a phone call."

I mouthed "oh" and then sat down beside Edward.

"Hey, Rosie. Alice just called me and told me about the plan for Bella's – " Emmett was cut off when he got hit in the face with a cushion pillow. "What the hell?"

Rosalie was shaking her head and then averted her eyes to me. Emmett followed her gaze and raised his eyebrows. He started to whistle and look around the room as he and Rose walked out awkwardly. It was quiet and Edward and I just stared at the door in confusion.

"What the hell was that about?" I asked Edward.

"I have no idea. But I'm kind of scared to ask. Rosalie might pummel me." I laughed.

Not even Edward knew what was going on. Something was definitely up.

* * *

**I have wanted to post this chapter ever since I got back from Vancouver . . . which was a week ago. But I was just so excited to write this one! I started typing this chapter at 3:30 in the afternoon and finished at 9:45 in the evening. I wanted to post it because I know a lot of you were anxious.**

**I loved the reviews saying who they thought got in the accident. Most people thought Bella was the one, which is what I intended for you to think. Are you surprised or what?**

**Anyways, review, people : )**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Heirloom

"I honestly don't get the point of why we're shopping for clothes for this dinner party. And why me specifically? I would understand if Alice shopped for herself and Jasper since they're being the hosts, but I mean come on! I already have tons of clothes in my closet that still have the price tags on them," I tried persuading Rose.

Rosalie was searching through the racks. "Well, this was a special order from Alice. She couldn't be here because she's preparing for tonight, but she said if I didn't get you a new outfit that I would suffer the consequences. You know what's it's like when Alice gives a punishment . . . I don't want to experience that."

"Both you and Alice know that I don't object to shopping anymore, so why the hell are you shopping for me? Not only am I going to feel guilty about you spending for me, but I'm also insulted," I teased

"Just go along with it, Bella."

"But –"

"No 'buts'! Try these on and show them to me after," Rosalie pushed me towards the dressing room and closed the door. "And don't you dare skip the articles you don't like. I want to see them all."

I sighed and started to change into the white blouse and high waisted skirt first. I showed it to her and then she commented on how it looked too business-like. That was how it went for the next hour – I would change and she would shake her head, saying it looked good, but not the right theme for the party. By the time I tried on the twentieth outfit I was starting to loose hope. I suggested many times that we should go to a different store, but Rose insisted we stay here until she thought there was nothing.

On the other side of the room was the pile of rejects. On the hanger was one more piece of clothing. A dress. It was absolutely stunning – satin with a color starting from the top that was a turquoise color, making a gradient to a darker blue at the bottom. It tightened under the bust, and then flowed freely. There was a nice ribbon tied around and finished with a cute bow. It wasn't strapless, thank God. I tried it on and the material felt so light and refreshing. I stepped out of the dressing room and folded my hands in front of me.

"So," I started. "What do you think?"

Rosalie's expression was, not understandable. Her eyes widened almost in shock, but she was smiling. It was almost a mixed of being shocked and excited. I didn't know which expression it was, so I sighed.

"It doesn't look good, huh? We'll just have to move onto the next store and –" Rose cut me off.

"We don't need to go to the next store. That dress is perfect! Now, go take it off and give it to me while you're changing into your regular clothes so I can pay for it. Then once you're done we can look for shoes."

I nodded and headed back into the dressing room. I slipped of the dress and handed it to Rosalie over the door. I changed back into my regular clothes before leaving the small room. I made my way to the entrance of the store and found Rosalie waiting for me with a bag in her hand. I rolled my eyes and took the bag in my hands. She clapped her hands and took my arm before dragging me to Nordstrom.

When we entered the store, she immediately brought me to the high heel section. I reminded her that if she cared for both mine and other people's safety, she would not put me in heels. But did she listen to me? No. I got stuck trying on a whole bunch of different shoes that I was started to loose memory of which shoes I came in. She was going for something dazzling yet classy. I was just sitting on the chair, waiting for her to come back with a whole bunch of different shoeboxes. We finally decided on getting strappy metallic silver heels and a pair of Dereon high tops just so I won't complain about the heels. It was a pretty good deal.

The party was tonight and it was only four in the afternoon. We were in the mall for four hours and I still didn't get what the whole purpose of getting a new dress and shoes was for. I just wanted to wear my new high tops and forget about those unneeded heels.

"I'm not going to be helping you get ready for tonight," Rosalie suddenly said.

"Okay. So when is Alice coming over?"

"She's not helping either. Consider it as a . . . gift."

"That's a weird gift, but I accept," I replied.

I was so confused now that it wasn't even funny.

My phone started to buzz in my pocket and I flipped it open. I smiled when I saw who it was from.

_Bella,_

_Are you almost done shopping? I miss you._

_E._

I smiled and then replied.

_I miss you, too. But I've only been gone for four hours. Surely it couldn't have been that long._

My phone buzzed again and I opened the message.

_Yeah but four hours seems like four days. And that is just too long to be away from you._

I laughed, shaking my head. I replied and put my phone back in my pocket. I looked out the window and sighed. I heard Rosalie snicker quietly. I turned my head to her and gave her a questioning look. She was smiling lightly and wondered if I had something on my face. Maybe I put on my shirt backwards in the dressing room. I looked down at my shirt and found it was on properly; I touched my face and felt nothing there. Way to add an extra level of my confusion rate.

"Do I get to know the joke?" I asked her.

"Oh, it's no joke."

"Then what in the world is so funny?"

"You and Edward are so cute. I can't believe you only got together a month and a half ago. It took you fourteen years to realize you loved each other? Talk about oblivious," She snorted.

"Shut up. Not every one can find love at fifteen, Rose. Especially if you're in love with my brother," I shuddered. "Remind me what you see in him again?"

"He's your brother so you are just being biased. But he makes me happy and is really sweet . . . Hey, don't change the subject!"

Damn. She figured out my plan.

"Okay, fine. What were you saying about me and Edward?"

"I'm just saying that it's hard to believe you guys have been official for only a month and a half. For ten years you guys only saw each other as friends, another four years you guys liked each other secretly. And now, bam! I guess it's kind of nerve-racking."

"How is it nerve-racking?"

"Well, not in the offending way. But if you think about it from someone else's perspective, you would see how hard it was not to push you guys together and finally make it happen. You guys are so perfect for each other it's insane," The car came to a stop. "Anyways, we're here. I have to go help Alice for a bit so I'll see you later."

"Okay. Thanks for the shopping trip, Rose."

I stepped out of the car and walked towards the entrance of the building. The elevator was slower than usual and all I wanted to do was collapse on the couch until it was time to get ready. When the elevator bell rang, I shot out of there and walked quickly towards the apartment. I twisted the key in the lock and opened the door, invited by a very clean apartment and a tasty smell.

I shut the door and dropped the bags on the ground. The Fray's CD was playing in the background while I heard pots and pans clanking in the kitchen. I stood in the doorway of the kitchen and smiled at what I saw. Edward was baking. I thought he had learned from the pasta experience that he wasn't the best chef. But there he was, trying to prove himself once again.

He was mixing the batter and then put it in a cake pan before putting in the oven. He set the time and then leaned on the counter, wiping his forehead. When he caught sight of me the corners of his mouth pulled into a crooked grin. He walked over to me and embraced me, kissing the top of my head.

"Hey. When did you get here? I didn't hear you come in."

"Not too long ago. I came in when you were mixing the cake mix. Did you work up a sweat?" I teased.

He rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to prove to you that I could bake. Just because I can't cook fettuccini alfredo doesn't mean that baking isn't in my ability as well."

"I'll be convinced when I eat that cake," I retorted. "Anyways, I have to make the salad."

"Already done."

"Huh?"

He chuckled and led me to the refrigerator. On one of the racks laid a bowl of garden salad.

"Did you make that?"

"Yup. I told you I could make food. Plus, I thought you should rest after your shopping trip," He smiled.

"Thanks. I have to get ready anyways. What time do we need to be there?"

"Alice said to be there at 5:15."

"Yeah, then I really need to get ready now. I want to prove to Alice that I can get ready on my own just fine."

"Even if you aren't all dressed up, I think you're absolutely stunning," He whispered.

I blushed. "You are supposed to say that. It's in the what to say to you girlfriend handbook."

"I'm telling the truth. I always feel so incredibly plain when I stand next to you in front of a mirror."

It was like he was reading my mind, because that's exactly how I felt when I was with him in front of mirror. I shook my head and felt my cheeks heat up more. I reached onto the balls of my feet and kissed him gently. I smiled at him at once more before leaving the kitchen. I brought the shopping bags over to the room and set them on the bed.

First on the list: A nice, hot shower.

I turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up. I stripped off my clothes when I could feel the steam sticking on my skin and stepped inside. I lathered my body with soap and took a deep breath of relaxation. After applying shampoo and conditioner, I made a mental note to buy some more. I stayed under the water for a bit, not really wanting to step out, but did after realizing I would run out of time and shrivel up like prune.

I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself before slipping on the dress. I then towel dried my hair and brushed it through before it dried in tangles.

Second: Makeup.

I didn't usually put on a lot of makeup – just your usual eyeliner, mascara and lip-gloss. But I figured that Alice wanted me to look nice for this evening that I might as well just go full out. I got out all of the makeup I had – which wasn't as much compared to Alice and Rosalie's collection – and tried to think of a look to do with the things I had. Once I thought of something, I got to work.

I first applied a primer on my eyelids so that the eye shadow wouldn't fade later on. I then put on some white pigment over the primer and blended it in, trying not to make the color so harsh. After, I put a thin black eyeliner on both the bottom and top of my eyes and then followed it with black mascara. I decided not to put on blush since I knew that my cheeks would blush crimson sometime in the evening. I contemplated on putting lipstick or lip-gloss but chose lip-gloss seeing as how I wasn't a big fan of lipstick anyway. I put my makeup away and made my way back to the mirror.

Third: Hair.

I couldn't decide if I wanted my hair super curly or straight. I decided to just leave it natural and pinned my bangs to the side. I ran my hands through my hair with leave-in-conditioner and scrunched it a little more for volume.

Lastly: Shoes.

I opened the shoebox and took out the high heels. I slipped them on my feet and walked around to make sure that they were comfortable enough. Though I knew no matter how comfortable they were that I was going to fall down anyway. Stupid death trap of shoes.

I stole one last glance in the mirror and was satisfied. I'm no Alice, but I must say that I looked pretty damn good. I smiled and turned towards the door, where Edward was standing there, and waiting for me. He was already in his dark pants and light green button up shirt. Just like always, he looked perfect. How ironic was it that I was right in front of mirror and feeling incredibly plain?

"You look snazzy," I commented.

"You're not too bad yourself," he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Oh, you never did tell me that you saw Jessica Stanley in the hospital."

"Why on earth would I ever tell you I met someone absolutely annoying? And did you talk to her?"

"No I didn't talk to her. I saw her nametag. Plus, when we exited the hospital she was glaring at me. My only explanation for that was because she knew it was you and I don't think she's ever liked me after that time we picked you up from school."

"If she doesn't like you, I don't like her," He said.

"But you have to admit, she is quite pretty."

"She has the hair of a poodle. Oh yeah, she's quite a prize," He said sarcastically.

I laughed and took his hand as I led him out the door. We took the elevator to go one floor up. Edward questioned why we didn't just take the stairs, I reminded him of the monstrosity on my feet. He understood quickly, but not without making a smartass comment. That earned him a smack in the back of his head. That also earned me a throbbing in the palm of my hand. It definitely was not my fault he had such a hard head.

I tripped coming out of the elevator. Edward caught me and set me up straight as I blushed and cursed at myself. He put his arm around me and I heard him laugh softly. I swear if I didn't love him so much that he would be a walking dead man.

"So have you figured out what Alice and the rest of them are hiding from me?" I questioned as we walked down the hall.

"Nope. Not a clue," His eyes wondered to the ceiling.

"You are such a liar. Tell me!"

"I know nothing," I narrowed my eyes at him. "Okay, maybe I do know. But I'm not telling you. You'll just have to wait and see."

"Ugh, fine." I crossed my arms over my chest.

We were in front of Alice and Jasper's door. I knocked on the door lightly and waited for it to swing open. No response. I knocked again and still got nothing. From the corner of my eye I could see Edward smirking. I shook my head and clutched the doorknob. I opened it slowly until I could get a full view of the room. It was pitch black.

There was no sound and all I could see was the never-ending darkness. I raised an eyebrow and took a step inside. The only light in the room was the one coming from the window, and that wasn't enough to see anything clearly. I turned back at Edward who was now smiling widely.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Suddenly the lights were on and the sound of kazoos rang in the background. I jumped from surprise and whipped myself around. Rose and Emmett were standing behind a couch – Rose was clapping her hand and Emmett was laughing with his hands in the air. Jasper and Alice were standing in the hallway. Jasper had his arm wrapped around Alice as she held a huge cake in her arms.

"Surprise!" They all yelled in unison.

"Happy Birthday, Bella!" Emmett chimed in.

"But my birthday is tomorrow," I reminded them.

"Oh we know. But that one over there," She pointed her glance at Edward. "Wouldn't share you tomorrow. So we had to settle for today. But that's okay, because we still get to celebrate it with you anyway!"

I laughed and gave her hug once she placed the cake on the table. I gave everyone else a hug aside from Edward, who got a kiss. I felt guilty when I saw the pile of presents beside the cake. There was only five of them, how can there be more than that? I. Had. Weird. Friends. That's why.

"You guys shouldn't have done anything for me. Now I feel bad."

"Don't be silly, Bells," Emmett boomed. "You know that having friends like us will always end up having a party for your birthday. Especially because you're my sister."

I smiled and slapped him in the arm lightly. He faked pain and rubbed his arms, still laughing. Alice began to light the candles on the cake, and that's when I saw that the cake was decorated in different colored frosting. It looked delicious. She finally lit the eighteenth candle and brought her gaze to me. Everyone began singing happy birthday and I blushed. Edward wrapped his arm around me and kissed my forehead. When they finished singing, I blew the candles and of course, made a wish.

Rosalie cut the cake into pieces. Handing everyone a plate, but gave Emmett the biggest piece to satisfy his hunger. We sat in the dining room and laughed at the most ridiculous things. Everyone but Emmett stopped eating cake after the first slice. Suddenly, Alice's head snapped up and she stood quickly.

"What's up, Al?" I asked.

"I have to get the food," She explained. "I'll bring it here and then everyone can just grab and get."

"So, why didn't we have dinner before the cake?"

"Because who wants to leave the cake lying around with Emmett in the room? Might as well get one slice before he completely swallows it whole."

She turned around and made her way to the kitchen. I was going to help, but Jasper stopped me and went into the kitchen instead. Emmett was glaring at the doorway as Rose and Edward were trying to hide their laugh. I sighed, knowing that what Alice said was true – Emmett would swallow it whole. Figures.

I smelled the food once Alice and Jasper came in full handed. In their hands were mashed potatoes, roast, chicken wings and the salad Edward made. They then went into the kitchen and came back with plates, napkins, utensils, glasses and juice. It was good thing we settled in the dining room first because the table was big enough to fit all of the food. It may not have sounded much, but if you saw the size of it all . . . whoa.

We all grabbed food and drank the mango juice. It was scrumptious, and I was surprised that I didn't see this party coming. I thought I was supposed to be the observant one. In a way, I guess I was glad to be surprised. In another, I still felt guilty that they went through all this trouble just for me.

Emmett took a sip from the mango juice. "How come we're drinking juice and not an alcoholic drink?"

"Because the only one who is twenty in this room is you, and even you're not legal yet. Besides, I don't think Bella would like breaking the law." Jasper retorted.

"Way to make me feel old Jazz," Emmett rolled his eyes. "How are we going to be able to play 'I Have Never' without alcohol?"

"Because we won't be playing 'I Have Never'," Alice said.

"And why the hell not?"

"Because, we're opening presents first. And if you just let me finish my sentence, I was going to say _then_ we could play 'I Have Never'. What's an eighteenth birthday without that game? I just didn't want Bella to get too drunk, or else Edward would steal my shoes!"

I raised my eyebrow at Edward who only smiled. "Just wait until tomorrow, love." I shrugged my shoulders and took the first present that was handed to me.

I read the card before opening the present. I took my time, not wanting to wreck the beautiful wrapping. That was my procedure for each present, and I could see Alice bouncing from excitement. I thanked them all when I finished opening them. I piled them nicely on the edge of the table by my purse and that's when the game began. Alice brought shot glasses and tequila and set them in front of us. We filled each of the glasses. Emmett went through the rules and smiled deviously.

I suddenly feared how the game would turn out and knew that it wouldn't take long for some of us to get drunk – that some of us being Emmett and Alice.

"Okay, Okay," Emmett began. "Let the game begin!"

Alice raised her hand. "I'm starting! I have never gone to a Celine Dion concert."

Emmett mumbled something and took a shot. He poured more tequila in his glass and crossed his arms over his chest. I had to laugh at that, because I knew that Emmett had once gone to that concert because he used to have a crush on her when he was fifteen. He totally regrets going now and never even mentions it in case someone would find out. Too late for that now.

"I have never gotten expelled from school," Jasper said.

Edward took a shot and shook his head. He smirked as he poured more into his glass.

"I have never had a food fight during the Christmas season."

"I have never used someone to make another jealous."

"I have never watched A Walk To Remember."

"I have never gone on vacation just to go shopping."

We ended after too many rounds. In the end, the people who were most likely to get drunk, still got drunk. Edward called quits and said that I wouldn't want to wakeup to a bad hangover tomorrow, so obviously I stopped too. I still didn't know what he had planned for tomorrow. I tried asking him for hints and he would change the subject. That boy was good.

I grabbed the presents and then started to head for the door. We said goodbye to them and I said thanks again. The last thing I saw before the door shut to a close was Emmett barking in laughter and Alice jumping up and down constantly. I was a little tipsy on our way back, Edward had to take the presents and support me. I wasn't tipsy to the point where I would be drunk within one more glass, but tipsy as in I was on my way there.

Once we got to the apartment, Edward set the things on the table as I made my way to the washroom to get ready for bed. I stripped off my dress and put on my pajamas, and then replaced my high heels with my fluffy slippers. I washed my face and brushed my teeth before putting on some moisturizer. When I left the washroom, Edward was already in his pajamas and sitting on the bed. I kissed him softly and then pulled the covers over me.

I sighed when I felt warm arms wrap around me. I closed my eyes and slept with a smile on my face.

*****

I felt something shake my shoulders. I groaned and turned on my other side. My shoulders were still shaking so I swatted away whatever was interrupting my sleep.

"Bella, wake up," Edward whispered in my ear. I felt his breath on my skin and I shivered.

I opened my eyes slowly to see that it was still dark out. "What time is it?"

"4:00 in the morning."

"And you are waking me up this early because . . ."

"Because if you don't wake up now, you'll miss the surprise."

"Another surprise?"

"Yes, but this time it's just me and you.

"I like the sound of that," I breathed.

"Then get your butt out of this bed and get dressed. You'll like it, I promise." He kissed my cheek and shuffled out of the room.

I got out of bed and rubbed my eyes. I stood up and walked over to the closet. I kept trying to think of what Edward was going to show me. No doubt it would be wonderful. Anything Edward did for me was wonderful. I put on my clothes and tied my hair into a low side messy-bun, not really wanting to work on my hair if it was left down. I slipped my cell phone into my pocket and walked out of the room.

Edward was putting things into a picnic basket before packing blankets. I approached him and sighed at how early it was. He smiled softly at me and took my hand. He led me out the door and down to his Volvo. Once he had everything in the car, he drove down the road.

I didn't know how long we were driving for, but all I knew was that we were in the car for a long time. We passed all the buildings, houses, schools and parks and were now driving down the path in the woods. I was surprised that there was a forest near to where we lived. Edward finally parked and got out to open the door for me. It was just a little chilly, and I was glad that I chose to wear my hoodie.

Edward was holding onto the picnic basket as he took me down the path. I was confused, until I saw what looked like a meadow. We stepped into a clearing of green grass and beautiful different flowers. The trees were tall enough that the branches made an arch at the entrance. It looked like it was designed to look this beautiful, but I knew that this was all natural.

Edward laid the blanket down in the center of the meadow for us to sit down. He then took out the pancakes, omelets, bacon and orange juice. He gave me a plate and I took it gratefully. I was starving and the food smelled good. I took a bite, and was amazed that food was perfection.

"If you're wondering who made the food, the answer is me," Edward smiled.

My head shot up. "You made this?"

"Yeah. I took a cooking class two weeks ago and they taught me a thing or two."

"I'm impressed, Mr. Cullen. I never knew you had it in you."

"See, now I'm just as good as you."

"Whoa now. Don't flatter yourself. We both know that the head of the kitchen in this relationship is me," I teased.

Edward scoffed. "You just keep thinking that. One day, we'll have a showdown and we'll see who wins."

"I don't need a competition to see that I'm a better cook."

"Is someone being chicken?" He started making chicken sounds.

"Okay fine! But prepare yourself." I challenged.

He smirked. "Oh, I almost forgot," I titled my head as he put his hands back in the picnic basket. "Now you get to try the cake I made."

It was chocolate cake with chocolate icing on it, my favorite. I licked my lips as he cut a slice and handed it to me. I took a bite and was surprised at how moist it was.

"This is very good," I complimented him. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, love." He whispered.

"So was this my surprise? A picnic at six in the morning?"

"No, this was part of it. The next part should be happening," He glanced at his watch. "Now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look over there," He pointed at the horizon. I looked at where he was pointing, and noticed as my eyes widened.

Over the treetops was a bright sky. It was painted in beautiful colors of orange, pink and yellow. The sun was just rising and I could feel its warmth as the light touched my skin. I closed my eyes and smiled. Edward put his arm around my shoulders and I rested my head. I opened my eyes and saw the colors were tinted purple along the bottom of the fluffy clouds.

I then felt something clasp around my wrist. I looked down and saw a golden chain with a heart shaped rhinestone linked to it. The rhinestone was shining different colors on my skin and I mesmerized it. I smiled and looked at Edward, whose eyes were twinkling.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Your birthday present. I didn't pay for this, I swear. It was more of a heirloom. Esme gave it to Alice and I a few years ago, saying that she wanted her own to have it. Obviously, Alice was able to wear it since she was a girl and it fit around her wrist. Esme just told me to give it to someone who would mean something special to me. And that someone special is you, love."

"Me? I can't possibly be worth this much."

"You're right. You are worth so much more. I can't believe I'm here with your right now."

I blushed and kissed his lips with passion. I pulled away and rested my forehead on his, breathing heavily. Edward kissed my forehead and rested his chin on the top of my head. I looked at the sunrise and watched it in amazement.

"Happy birthday, Bella." He said gently.

* * *

**You have no idea how many times I had to rewrite this chapter. I even lost count. I just couldn't seem to write it in a way that I would be satisfied, and this was the closest I could get. Sorry if it's suckish. But please _review!!!_**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Those Eyes Were Made For Murdering

Edward was playing the piano in the other room, composing a song for his class. It must be fun playing music as an assignment. English was no joke, and sometimes I questioned myself about why I didn't take something easy like music. But then I remembered that I wanted to be writer and that my music knowledge was hopeless. Maybe that's why I left the instrumental talents to Edward . . .

I sighed as I tapped my fingertips along the keyboard. I had a paper due for Friday and I wanted it done so that later it wouldn't be such a burden. Though it would have been much easier if I didn't have the worst writer's block. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. I opened them again and looked at the blank document on the screen. Frustrated, I shut my laptop and left the room.

Edward had stopped playing when I entered the living room. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a disgruntled sigh. He saw me approach him and smiled. I sat beside him and saw that on his music journal he only had two or four notes in. It kind of confused me, seeing as how I heard him playing for a whole hour. It was impossible that he only had this much done.

I looked at him expectantly and shook my head in mock disappointment. "You, mister, should have more than this. You've been working on your assignment for over an hour and all you have done is this?" I pointed at his journal.

"And how much of your paper have you finished?" He inquired.

I remembered the blank document and let silence fill the air.

"Touché," I narrowed my eyes.

He laughed and slung his arm around me. "I couldn't think of anything. None of the notes I played fit with what I was going for."

"And what are you going for?"

"That's just the thing, I don't know."

"But I heard you playing a beautiful piece earlier," He raised his eyebrow at me. "That one you were playing for the majority of your hour."

"Oh, that one," He sighed.

"Yes, that one. It was beautiful."

"Was it really?"

I nodded my head. "Why don't you use that piece?"

"I don't know, it's kind of personal."

"And what's better than a song that came from the heart?" I asked.

"It's not exactly finished yet though."

"If it's personal, then you'll be able to finish it in no time," I reassured.

I squeezed his knee before getting off the bench. I went back to my laptop and stretched my fingers. I stared at the white screen, the blankness taunting me with every fiber of its nothingness. Why was it so hard? I knew the novel well, loved it in fact. Was karma coming to bite me in the ass or something? Because if that was the case I would like to differ, I didn't anything rude to anyone! Except for hiding Emmett's bag of Doritos.

A buzzing began to start. I straightened and spun around on my chair, scanning the room. I was going to ignore it and go back to work when I saw the culprit. Edward's cell phone was on the floor, next to a pair of jeans. I walked over to the corner of room and kneeled down to where the phone was. I picked it up, checking the caller ID. The number was private.

"Edward!" I called.

"Yeah?" He yelled back.

"Your cell phone is ringing."

"Can you answer it for me? I just got this burst of inspiration."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, fine."

I flipped the phone open and pressed the answer button. I brought it up to my ear as I put Edward's pants in the hamper.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Oh, this isn't Edward. I must have gotten the wrong number," I woman's voice replied.

"This is Bella, Edward's busy at the moment."

"Oh," The voice chirped. "So you're the one that Edward used to talk about all the time. My name is Avery."

"Um, that's nice?"

"I know. So how are you and Edward? Are you still his sorry little best friend?"

I was taken back by her question. I put my hand on my hip. "Actually, I'm his girlfriend."

The line was silent.

"Wait, so let me get this straight. You're his _girlfriend_ now?"

"Um, yes." I said calmly.

"I can't believe this!" She yelled.

I heard her hang up. I stared at the phone incredulously. Did that woman literally just bitch at me? I didn't even know who the hell she was! I shut Edward's phone and stalked out of the room again. This time when I went into he living room, he was closing his journal. I stomped in his direction and handed his phone to him. He stared at me with a confused expression and took his cell cautiously.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I answered your phone and this woman was asking for you," I told him.

"Bella," He shook his head. "You know I wouldn't cheat on you right?"

"Oh I know. I wasn't even considering that."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that woman was absolutely rude to me. I don't even know who she is!" I raised my hands in the air.

"Do you know her name?"

I nodded. "She told me her name was Avery."

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "I remember her. I can't believe she still has my number."

"But who the hell is she?" I asked.

"Don't worry about her. I don't even know why she called me, nor do I care. I highly doubt I'm going to see her again, so ignore it, love."

I sighed. "Okay. But it still doesn't make me any more less pissed that she was bitching at me."

He chuckled and kissed me on the forehead. Edward patted the free space on the piano bench and I took it without hesitation. I rested my head on his shoulder as he began to play the beautiful piece I heard earlier. It sounded familiar now, because I was actually paying attention to the melody. However I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I let it go and closed my eyes, already forgetting about that ridiculous phone call.

*****

I was slicing carrots when Edward came through the door. I heard his things fall to the ground and his muffled footsteps along the hardwood floors. I looked around the corner and saw him let out a blow of breath – I suddenly felt concerned. Edward came into the kitchen then, and leaned his elbows on the counter beside me. I put down the knife and turned to him.

"So how did your song do?" I asked warily.

"Well . . ."

"Oh, the professor didn't like it? Well that's just insane! Don't let that dick wad of an educator bring you down, Edward. He obviously doesn't know music if he didn't like your piece. But it's okay, because I'm going to rip him from limb to limb –" I was cut of when Edward put a finger on my mouth to shut me up.

He laughed softly. "Bella, will you let me finish?" I nodded. "Professor Keitges said that it was different and beautifully composed."

Edward took his finger off my lips. "So, what does that mean?"

"It means I got full marks," He stated.

"That's fantastic! I'm so proud of you. I told you if it was personal that it would mean something more."

"Oh yeah, because you are always right," He rolled his eyes.

"Damn straight, I am," I retorted.

He chuckled and kissed my cheek swiftly. He left the kitchen and headed for the washroom. I heard him turn on the shower before shutting the door.

As much as I didn't want to remind myself about that phone call a few days ago, I couldn't quite get it out of my mind. Just the sound of venom in her voice when she asked if I was his girlfriend sent the hairs on the back of my neck stand. Edward told me to ignore it, and most of the time I did. But how the hell was I supposed to ignore a girl who I didn't know calling Edward? I knew he wasn't cheating on me, but how did they know each other? How does she know me but I don't know her?

I understood that Edward had girlfriends before me, but the thought that one was trying to contact him again was weird. I wanted to tell Edward that the phone call was still bothering me. But I didn't want him to think that I was over analyzing it. I mean, how stupid would it be to hear your girlfriend vent about a call that lasted thirty seconds. Not stupid, but retarded.

I put the carrots aside and then began to cut the celery. I didn't realize how hard and quick I was cutting until I felt a sharp pain come from my finger. I looked down and saw that my left middle finger was pooling with blood. I smelled the blood and held my breath. I brought my hand over to the sink and washed it with water. When I turned off the tap, I got a towel to dry my hand. I released my hand from the towel in expectation that the bleeding had stopped.

But it didn't.

My finger kept on bleeding excessively. The blood was now tearing down my arm and dripping to the ground. I stood there, stunned. Edward then came into the kitchen – his hair wet and he was in a new change of clothes. He was smiling until he saw me staring at my hand. His eyes widened and he immediately rushed towards me.

"What happened?" He asked sternly.

"I was just cutting celery when I cut my finger with the knife. I rinsed it and dried it but the bleeding won't stop."

He examined my finger. Hell, I couldn't even find my finger in the amount of blood.

"We have to go to the hospital, I think you need stitches."

I nodded my head and wrapped my hand in the towel again. Edward held my good hand as he led me out of the apartment and down to his Volvo. Though me being the clumsiest person alive, stumbled a few times. Edward decided to carry me when he noticed my almost-falls. He then slid me into the passenger seat of the car and closed the door. He rushed to the other side and got into the drivers seat. I cleared my throat when he was about to put the key into the ignition. He looked at me with question; I pointedly glanced at my seatbelt. He made an 'o' with his mouth and buckled me in.

If I thought that Edward was a fast driver before, I would say that was slow compared to the way he was driving _now_. He was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning white. I didn't think he even noticed the many fingers and curses he received from the other drivers. He was just so focused on getting to the hospital. I didn't see his worry; I just needed stitches. He was acting like I was giving birth or something.

I clutched onto the seat of the car every time Edward overtook another car. His turns were sharp and whenever we got to a red light, he cussed. I wondered to myself if this was how he was driving when Alice and Jasper got in the accident. Though I'm sure he was much more careful than he was now.

Edward parked the car in the a space abruptly. I started to get out of the car when all of sudden a pair of arms supported my back and knees. Edward closed the door with his foot and walked towards the hospital doors in a quick pace. The feel of air conditioning brushed my skin and the fluorescent lights made me squint.

"Edward, I can walk you know. It's my finger that's cut, not my legs," I informed him.

He ignored me and walked over to the receptionist. I shook my head when I saw it was Jessica behind the desk.

"She needs stitches," He said to her quickly.

Jessica looked like she didn't want to get a doctor for me, like she was unwilling. Her eyes then widened and she called one of the doctors. I looked at Edward and saw that he was glaring at her. Great, my knight and his shining, glaring green eyes. Very original.

A doctor then came and led us to a vacant room. Edward thanked her and then put me on the bed when she shut the door behind her. She brought out the supplies and laid them on the table close to the bed. I shifted, hearing the paper crinkle with every movement I made. I didn't watch when she began to stitch me up. I looked at Edward, who was doing the exact opposite of what I was doing – watching the doctor stitch me up.

It turned out I need three stitches on my finger. She wrapped it in a gauze and then patted my shoulder.

"Well, Miss Swan, I'm glad I got to see you again," she said.

"I have a feeling that you'll see way more of me in the future, Doctor Cabrera."

"Funny," She laughed. "That's what you said the first time I cared for you. I've seen you six times in the past two months and I have no doubt I'll meet you here again."

"Well, Edward thinks the smallest things are the biggest injuries so my record here will increase quite a lot," I glared at Edward.

He raised his hands in the air. "Is it my fault I care for you?" He defended himself.

"No. But the fact that you chose me to be your girlfriend is your own fault."

"Then I'm glad I made that mistake."

I smiled and shook my head. Doctor Cabrera was chuckling as she cleaned up the area. She then bent down to my ear, I felt her breath along my skin.

"He's a keeper, Bella. Don't let him go," She whispered.

She then straightened up and I titled my head at her. I raised an eyebrow as she shrugged her shoulders. She took off her gloves and threw them in the trash.

"Have a nice day, guys. I'll see you around."

Doctor Cabrera stepped out of the room and left Edward and me. I jumped off the bed and ran my hand through my hair. Edward was at my side immediately and asked how my finger was. I told him that it was still numb, and to ask me tomorrow when the pain would come. He shook his head and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

I never noticed until after we left the room, but the hospital was surprisingly tame. I made sure to be careful with my steps and took the opportunity to be not so clumsy with the calm hallway. Edward still had his arm around me, his touch making my skin tingle. We were almost at the exit when Edward stiffened. I looked up at him and saw that his eyebrows were furrowed together. He looked over his shoulder and immediately turned his head back. I was still confused, but then I heard it.

"Edward Cullen, I know it's you! Turn around and say hi," A woman teased. Except it wasn't just any woman. I heard that voice before.

Edward turned around, still holding me, making me turn around too. I saw her then. She was tall and had silky, light brown hair. Her face was delicate, with violet eyes that caught anyone's attention. She was wearing a nurse uniform, but I could tell that she had a flawless body. I felt so unattractive standing opposite her – god dammit.

"Oh, hi, Avery," Edward said awkwardly.

So this was Avery; I knew that voice sounded familiar. If she was going to bitch at me again she better hope that she didn't accidentally run her nose into that wall . . .

"It's been so long!" She hugged Edward, who tightened his grip around me. "I haven't seen you since what, eleventh grade? How have you been?"

"Good. I've been good. What about you?"

"I'm doing well."

Her face gave the look that said I'm-doing-well-now-that-you're here. Son of a –

"You remember Bella right?" He asked.

"Well, I haven't met her until now, but I remember you talking about her," Her voice had the subtle hint of venom.

"Yeah well she's my girlfriend now, isn't that great?"

She raised her eyebrows but composed her expression quickly. I was ready for her to bitch. "Wow, really? That's great!"

Oh, so now she was going to be nice? I couldn't believe that she was faking her obvious hate towards me. I wanted to tell her she can stop acting, but I didn't want to do that in front of Edward. Instead, I just smiled and nodded once toward her. She gave me a – fake – smile back. I tried not to glare at her, and I could tell she tried not to glare at me. It was silent between us – Edward noticed and cleared his throat. I removed my gaze from her up to Edward who was smiling down at me. Avery was looking at Edward with dreamy eyes, and one quick glare at me before she looked back at Edward.

"Okay, well I have to get back to room 225. It was nice seeing you, Edward."

"Um, it was nice meeting you, Avery." I said.

She looked at me with a pointed gaze. As if she forgot was I standing here. "Yeah you too, Bella," She replied acidly.

Avery turned on her heel and waved at Edward flirtatiously before going around the corner. Edward and I walked out the exit and made our way towards our car. I was still pissed off that she was acting nice to me in front of Edward. Granted, this was the first time I actually met her. But you don't need to be a genius to see the hate in her eyes every time she looked at me.

I opened the door with force and sat in the seat. I slammed it and crossed my arms, shaking my head. Edward sat beside me and shuddered. I looked at him and let out a sigh of frustration. He began to drive and neither one of us talked. I pursed my lips and fidgeted in my seat. I needed to blow off some steam immediately.

"So, Edward," I said awkwardly. "You never did tell me how you knew Avery. Because apparently, you told her a lot about me."

"Bella, you don't need to worry about this. Avery has nothing on you."

"Who's worrying? I just want to know."

He licked his lips before answering. "I met her in eleventh grade. She liked me, and constantly flirted with me. I didn't like her in that way, but I had no idea how to tell her nicely. So, one day, I went up to her to tell the truth. And you know what happened?"

"What?"

"I was too chicken and accidentally asked her on a date," He mumbled.

"Epic fail, much?" I joked.

He chuckled. "Anyways, so I went on a date with her. I found I did like her . . . but only as a friend. We didn't go on any more dates after that, and she was constantly forcing a relationship down my throat. Eventually, I did tell her the whole entire truth, and that I wasn't interested in her. She was in denial, and didn't talk to me for the rest of the year. When senior year came around, she moved to live with her aunt."

I was silent, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous story. "So, she doesn't like me because I was able to be your girlfriend and she wasn't"

"How do you know she doesn't like you?" He asked.

"Please! She was practically murdering me with her eyes."

"She was doing what? I'm going to turn around and talk to her about her unnecessary behav –" I cut him off.

"It was just a figure of speech, Edward. She wasn't actually going to murder me, she just glared at me," I explained to him.

"Oh, okay good. Because if she hugged me one more time I swear to God that I will never wear these clothes until they are for sure sanitized." He made a disgusted face.

I laughed and slapped his arm lightly. He smiled at me and took my hand, his other one still on the wheel. I looked out the window and squeezed his hand. I felt better knowing that Edward didn't like Avery that much either. I thought he was going to tell me to not worry and to stop making such a fuss. But he didn't – and that was just another thing that made him even more amazing than he already was.

Avery was beautiful, yes. But she tried to force something that obviously wasn't going to happen, and that was a major turn off. What was even more of a turn off was the fact that she was still possessive of Edward. _My_ Edward. Well, two can play at that game.

So, that bitch could just kiss. My. Ass.

* * *

**this chapter was kind of hard to write, I have absolutely no idea why. But hey, at least it's here now right?? RIGHT! that's all that matters. **

**Tell me what you think, good, bad, could be better??? Review!!!!!!!!!!**

**P.S: If you watched So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD), didn't you feel bad for that same sex ballroom number when they fell?? I felt so bad!!!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Deal With It

Alice and Rosalie were re-organizing my closet. After all of my protests and negotiations, they still wanted to. I let them do it since I didn't want to make them feel bad. Though I felt bad that they wouldn't let me help, I mean, it's my closet. The least I could do was give a helping hand. Apparently, that isn't what I could do. They told me all I had to do was tell them which clothes I didn't want anymore so they could give it away or something like that.

"How about this shirt?" Rose asked.

I turned my gaze from the wall to the shirt Rose was holding up. It was white, with a green floral print. It had a smocked hem on the bottom and a scoop neckline. It had cap sleeves and the shirt itself gave a flirty blouson shape. I shook my head at her.

"You've said that about every single piece of clothing. You have to throw something out."

"I'm not throwing that out," I said.

"Why not? I know it's cute and everything but sacrifice _something!_"

"I haven't even worn it yet," I told her, "The tag is still on it, Rose."

She looked inside the shirt and found the tag. She made and "o" with her mouth and hung the shirt back up. She pulled out another shirt that had a V-neck and a purple and blue print. I sighed and nodded my head. I liked that shirt, but I just wanted to get this over with.

"Finally!" Alice said, exasperated.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," I mumbled. "Why do I need to give one shirt up anyway?"

"So we can have an excuse to buy you a new one," Rose said.

I groaned as they pulled my hand dragged me out the door.

*****

Rose and Alice were sifting through racks while I held the clothes they chose. They wouldn't let me choose because I apparently needed to be treated for once. I didn't argue, knowing I wouldn't win anyway. Though I did argue when we went to _Abercrombie & Fitch_ since it was too expensive for them to pay for me. But like I said, I lost the argument.

I didn't have much say in what they chose. It was one of those "against my will" things. They told me they would only get a shirt, but I didn't really believe them after seeing skirts and jeans and scarves being placed in my hands. Now, they were choosing an outfit. I didn't like the fact that they were paying for me; I would have much preferred it if they chose and I paid. That would have made the load on my conscious much lighter. But life didn't always go the way you wanted, especially if you're friends with Alice and Rosalie.

I was leaning against the wall when I felt something run into me. I didn't fall, but was damn close to it. I looked to see who bumped into me, but her hair was in her face.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you o –" when she tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear, I saw violet eyes. Eyes in which were shooting daggers at me. Eyes that I saw so recently. "Ew, it's you."

Ouch.

"Um, hi, Avery," I said, biting my tongue.

"What are you doing here? It's not like you have the fashion sense to shop in this store."

"Says the girl who wears a nurses outfit for a living," I mumbled.

She looked down at me, like she heard what I said. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused."

"Listen here, _Isabella_ –"

"Bella," I corrected.

"Like I give a damn what you want to be called," She hissed, "I have no idea what the hell Edward sees in you. I mean he's absolutely gorgeous, and look at you. He probably just feels sorry for you."

I scoffed. "At least I was able to become his girlfriend. Unlike someone, who tried to force a relationship up his ass, and failed. Now who was that again?" I cupped my chin with my fingers. "Oh, right. That was you."

"You little b –" She stopped mid word. She suddenly straightened up and put on that fake smile. It was as fake as her fake tan and nails. "I'm so glad I got to see you again, Bella."

I raised an eyebrow and looked over my shoulder. Standing there was Alice and Rosalie with a new amount of clothes in their hands. They walked over to me but were looking at Avery with wary expressions.

"Who's this, Bella?" Rosalie asked.

"Avery," Alice said for me.

"Alice! Wow, it's been so long. I was just saying how nice it was to see Bella again," Avery exclaimed.

"I'm fine. However, it doesn't seem like you and Bella were having a nice conversation."

"Of course we were!"

I snorted but composed myself quickly.

"Please! We heard you insulting Bella," Rosalie said in her bitch tone.

Avery glanced at Rosalie and looked her up and down. She narrowed her eyes at her and sat in her hip. "And who the hell are you?"

"Rosalie Hale. Now go, before I beat the shit out of you."

Avery huffed and left the store, swinging her hips. Her high heels clicked as she walked. Rosalie and Alice high-fived and went to the cashier. I followed them but didn't mention what happened. They were joking around and talking about how big of bitch Avery was. I nodded in agreement, because it was true – Avery was a bitch. Possibly one of the biggest bitches I'd ever encountered. But I couldn't help but wonder if what she said was true. What if Edward was really only dating me through pity.

I didn't show I was worried to Alice and Rose. I acted like I did everyday and tried to ignore the fact they just bought too many clothes for me. When we left the mall, they dropped me off at the apartment, leaving me to think about what Avery said.

*****

Edward's POV

How glad was I that I didn't follow Carlisle's footsteps and become a doctor? Too glad. If I applied for medical school I would have to help assist at the hospital. And that would mean I'd have to see Avery almost everyday. I wasn't joking about the whole sanitize my wardrobe if she hugged me one more time thing. I'd rather be hugged by Jacob Black, and that was saying something.

I was playing the guitar when I heard a repeated knock on the door. I got up from the sofa to answer it. The knocking continued in a consistent sense, and it was to the point where I wanted to punch the person in the face to chill out. It knocked once more before I opened it the door. I wasn't surprised that Emmett was the one knocking, and Jasper was shaking his head, ashamed.

"Eddie!" Emmett beamed. I glared at him. "What? Bella gets to call you that, why can't I?"

"Too many reasons, Em. Too many reasons," I said.

Jasper stepped inside the apartment to stand beside me. "Yeah for one, you're not Bella."

"But I'm her bro – "

"It doesn't matter if you're her brother. You're still not Bella."

"Fine," he mumbled.

Emmett slouched in the sofa while Jasper took out his psychology homework. They were so different – while Emmett procrastinated and joked around, Jasper did things on time and was usually serious. Which brought up the question how Rose and Alice were infatuated with him. Rose was more like Jasper and Alice was more like Emmett. I shook my head and grabbed an apple. I was thinking _way_ too much.

I leaned against the counter top and ran a hand through my hair. I sensed Jasper watching me, but I didn't acknowledge it. I just ate my apple and tried not to analyze things to every little detail.

"What's up, man?" Jasper asked.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Dude, I've known you since third grade. I can tell when you're lying."

"Okay, fine," I left the counter to lean against the wall. "A few days ago I had to take Bella to hospital to get stitches. I told you about that, right?" Jasper nodded. "While I was there I met someone and she was absolutely aggravating."

"Who is she? Do I know her?"

"Do you remember Avery Grant?"

"The enforcer? Totally," He said. "Oh, is that who you saw? Damn, that sucks. I remember when she used to follow you around in the hallways and steal locks of your hair when you weren't looking," he chuckled.

"She _what_?"

"Oh, umm, never mind."

"Whatever, that's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

"The problem is that she knows I'm here and she won't leave me the hell alone! What's so weird is that she still has my number. She called and Bella answered, Avery didn't like that. Avery never liked Bella, even before they met."

"Wait, she still has your number?" I nodded and tossed him my cell phone. He flipped it open. "Ten ignored calls from Unknown Caller. How do you know it's her?"

"Because all the people I know about who have my number are on caller ID and, she texted me. I didn't even read them, I just deleted it."

Jasper handed the phone back to me. "Okay, that's weird."

"What's weird?" Emmett asked as he went to the refrigerator.

"You," I answered.

"Ha! You're a funny one, Cullen. But no, seriously, what's weird?"

I looked at Jasper who only shrugged. I told Emmett about Avery and how she was being a pain in the ass. Amazingly, Emmett was a great listener. I guess it ran in the Swan family. When I finished, he looked like he wanted to laugh, but was trying not to. Jasper had the same look as well.

"What the hell is wrong with your faces?" I asked.

"It looks like you have your own personal stalker," Emmett replied. Jasper snickered with him.

"Gee, thanks guys."

I rolled my eyes.

*****

Bella's POV

I was about to unlock the door when Emmett and Jasper came out, laughing. When they saw me, they stopped their snickering abruptly and left with a curt nod. Well, that's what Jasper did. Emmett slapped me in the arm playfully; though it hurt like a bitch. I rubbed it as I stepped inside.

Edward was spinning his phone the table, his expression filled with concern. He didn't notice I was standing there until I was sitting beside him. His green eyes met with mine, and I immediately knew that something was off. It was silent, neither of us making conversation. I looked away and leaned my elbows on the table, my own thoughts clouding my mind.

I felt Edward's arm wrap around me. I didn't acknowledge it; I just rested my chin on my hands. I didn't know whether to ask him or not, I always told him what was on my mind. I gulped and took a deep breath.

"Tell me something," I said.

"What?"

I still wasn't looking at him. "Are you only my boyfriend because you pity me?"

Edward's arm stiffened. "What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it," I pleaded, "Please."

Edward let out a breath. For a moment I thought that Avery was right. But I tried to think otherwise. "I'm not your boyfriend because I pity you. No one can pity you, they all love you," Except for Avery, I thought. "I don't give a shit about how cliché it is to fall in love with your best friend. I'm your boyfriend because I am absolutely in love with you."

He held my chin so I looked up at him. I couldn't stop myself then. I crushed my lips to his and kissed him passionately. My arms wrapped around his neck, his hand tangling in my hair. All too soon, he broke the kiss. I mentally cursed him for being such a gentleman.

"Just out of curiosity," He breathed. "What made you think I didn't love you?"

"No reason," I lied.

"Bella . . ."

"Edward, don't worry about it. Okay?" His face was disbelieving. "Okay?" I repeated.

He nodded his head and I kissed him chastely, snatching something from the table. I got up from the table to retrieve the shopping bags from the floor. I went into the bedroom and closed the door behind me. I sat on the bed and looked in my hand.

Edward's cell phone.

I went through his missed calls an clicked at the most recent. I took a deep breath and brought the phone to my ear. It was ringing. Ringing. Ringing. I waited for it to stop, for someone to pick up the phone. It seemed forever that the ringing prolonged. I wondered if the person had ever heard of voicemail, but figured she was too stupid to install it.

"Edward! You finally called. I was beginning think you were ignoring me," I snickered. "Edward?"

"Hi, Avery," I said when I composed myself.

"Oh, hi, Bella. What the hell do you want?"

"What the hell do_ I_ want? I want you to leave Edward and I alone."

"Why should I? You stole him from me. I'm only taking what's rightfully mine."

"Okay, first off. Edward isn't a prize, he's a human being," I retorted, "Secondly, while you're trying to get him, he and I are perfectly happy. And in all truthfulness, I feel sorry for you."

I heard her laugh on the other line. "And why do you feel sorry for me?"

"Because you're so conceited. You're only going after him because he was the only one who turned you down. While you could be in love with someone who loves you for you, you're trying to take away someone I love, who loves me back," The line was quiet. "Avery?"

"I. Hate. You," She said through gritted teeth.

"I never asked for you to like me. You asked what I wanted, and I said I wanted you to leave us alone. So is that a deal?"

"Whatever."

"Great. And thirdly, I didn't steal Edward from you. You're just too naïve to see that," I said calmly. My anger was released and I hung up the phone.

I smiled and took a deep breath. I left the room; Edward had left the table and was now sitting on the couch. His foot on the coffee table and his arms stretched. I set his cell phone on his lap. He looked away from the TV to give me a confused look. I told him that I took it by accident and he nodded his head. I sat beside him and rested my head on his shoulder. The warmth of his arm around me was the comfort I needed.

* * *

**Holy crap! I am so sorry for the late update. I had absolutely no time to write this chapter. I was busy with my last week of dance, and then I had my recital this weekend. Plus I was studying for exams.**

**Also, sorry this chapter is so short. This probably the shortest chapter I have ever written for this story. I feel kind of pathetic now . . .**

**Okay, you know what to do. Review (Please and Thank you)!**

**P.S- Wish me luck on my first Provincial Exam on Wednesday! It's on Social Studies, so I need all the luck I can get : )**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Something Special

I was relieved when my last exam of the semester was over. All I had to do now was pack for our Christmas in Calgary. Edward had his last exam a week ago, so he got to finish packing way ahead of me. I, on the other hand, was studying. That test was excruciatingly hard and I wondered how much harder it would have been if I didn't study. But I was glad I did. I really only had two hours to pack before we headed for the airport, and I kind of wished I scheduled packing in my busy study schedule. Stupid Bella.

I rushed to the apartment. Not only did I have to pack clothes, I had to wrap gifts. And I was definitely not the most skillful gift wrapper. I stuck the key into the lock and pushed the door open. The Christmas tree was lit in the corner of the room and I smelled the aroma of cookies. The smell guided me to kitchen; I couldn't help myself once cookies invaded my thoughts. I licked my lips hungrily the closer I got to the kitchen.

"I knew the smell of cookies would lure you to me," Edward teased as he took a batch of cookies out of the oven.

"Shut up. You know that I can't resist homemade cookies," I retorted. "I think that cooking class has influenced you to bake all the time. For the past week I have come home to your baking."

"Hey, it's not my fault that I have found my new calling."

"You're right. Should I call you Rachel Ray from now on?" Edward narrowed his eyes at me. "I have to go and pack anyways. Your baking completely sidetracked me."

"I already packed for you," I heard Edward say.

"Say what?"

"I packed for you," he repeated. "And I wrapped the presents. We're all set to go."

I kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Edward. I guess you really _do_ deserve the name Rachel Ray now, huh?"

"Ha ha," He said sarcastically.

I chuckled and swiped a cookie from the tray. I took a bite in front of his face and then turned around to walk out of the kitchen. When I got into the bedroom, sure enough, were our luggages. Zipping it open, I peeked inside to see the presents. I was shocked, to say the least. They were so nicely wrapped, with ribbons and all. I zipped it back up and stood there.

Well, I was in a rush to pack and now I didn't have to. Which resulted in me having too much time to kill. I decided to take out my contacts, and put on my square frames. I always slept on the plane, and sleeping with contacts was a definite no. My makeup bag was still on the bathroom counter and I figured that he either forgot to pack it or just didn't put it in there on purpose. Shaking my head, I threw the bag in the luggage.

I stripped of my denim shorts and green blouse and put on something more accurate for the Calgary. My favorite pair of dark wash skinny jeans was my first choice, so I pulled them on. I then buttoned up the plaid shirt, buckling a wide belt on the bottom. Once I put on my high tops, I dragged my luggage down the hall.

Edward was waiting by the door. His luggage was standing at his side as he ate one of those moist chocolate chip cookies. When I approached him I snatched the cookie out of his hand and placed it in my mouth.

"You did not just steal my cookie," He said.

"I'm pretty sure I did," I opened the door. "We better get going."

Edward nodded and followed me out the door. "You are going to pay for that."

"Oh my! I am so scared," I teased.

Edward chuckled and took my luggage out of hands. As he put it in the trunk of the car, I gave him a little piece of the cookie. He took it and kissed me on the forehead.

*****

After a long flight, I seriously needed to stretch my legs. Once we stood up from our seats I took the opportunity to stretch my limbs. I could practically feel the winter weather inside the plane – as if the snow outside wasn't warning enough. Edward was still asleep as people started to file out of the plane. I shook him awake, laughing when he thought that the plane was crashing.

We claimed our luggage and looked for any sight of Alice and Emmett, both of which took an earlier fight with Jasper and Rosalie. I was embarrassed when I saw a huge sign – literally, that thing was massive – with Edward and mine's name on it. And of all things, the poster was bright neon green. To my _fake _surprise, Emmett was the one holding the poster up high, with Alice shaking her head in her hand.

"You know, the normal thing to do would just wait by the door until we came out to meet you," Edward said.

"But you must remember," Edward put the poster by his side. "That we aren't normal."

"I know _you're_ not normal," Alice said to him.

I stifled my laugh by biting on my lip. Emmett was completely unaware of what she said and hugged me. He was so huge – my eyes met up with his chest. After that too tight of a hug, I slipped on a winter coat. Edward had done the same and held my hand as we exited the airport. The thing about the airport in Calgary, was that in order to get to the parking lot, you had to go outside and cross the street. Normally, I wouldn't have minded. But it was minus thirty plus a wind chill of minus twenty. All together that added to the dreadful temperature of minus fifty degrees. Celsius, of course.

Throughout the car ride, Emmett kept on talking about whatever the hell he was talking about with Alice mimicking him when he wasn't looking. It was hilarious, but I tried not to laugh in case Alice got caught. Emmett had to drive slowly, to his distaste, because of the snow. The last time we were here – which was around five years ago – the snow hadn't mounted that high. And the worst part, it was still snowing. So that meant that the snow would only get higher and the weather was going to be cold. I was reasonable when Renee and Esme wanted a white Christmas again, but now I wish that I had suggested something else back in November.

We suddenly pulled into a driveway. I couldn't see the house with the fog on the windows. I wiped it away with the palm of my hand and gasped when I saw the house. It was huge with big windows and a large garden that was matted with snow. I couldn't believe it. It was the house we stayed in the last time we were in Calgary for the holidays. Wow, did I feel old or what?

"No way," I breathed. "We rented this house?"

Alice laughed. "I know right? What are the odds that after five years we would end up in the same house?"

I nodded my head and got out of the car. Emmett and Edward were already unloading, so I decided to go inside. The sound of snow crunching under my feet was distracting me from the cold. But that didn't mean that I forgot the weather. I climbed the steps of the porch an twisted the doorknob – which was unlocked. The immediate feel of warmth took me in as I stepped inside. I was amazed that everything looked the same.

"Bella!" I turned around to see Renee. "Charlie, Bella is here!"

I was enveloped in a hug. I laughed as Charlie came around the corner with a smile on his face. "Hey, Bells," he said. Renee let go of me and Charlie took her place.

"You don't visit us enough," Renee stated. "And where is Edward? I haven't seen him yet."

"Mom, you've already met him, like fifteen years ago."

"Not as your boyfriend."

I blushed crimson. Just in time, I felt warm arms wrap around my waist and a kiss on the back of my neck. I turned my head and saw Edward with a crooked smile plastered on his face. When he kissed me softly on the cheek, I couldn't help but smile. I heard someone clap and a small chuckle. My eyes unwillingly wandered from Edward's face to my parents. Renee's grin was so big I thought her face would explode, and surprisingly Charlie was the one who was laughing. And I thought he didn't want me to have a boyfriend until I was thirty.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Nothing's funny, dear," Renee answered. "Charlie why don't you help me put away the thing in the garage."

Charlie's face showed confusion. "What thing?"

"You know the thing I told you about. The one that has to do with the other thing."

It was silent. I was pretty sure that my face now held confusion. "Oh," Charlie finally said. "That thing. Yeah, let's go do that now."

With that, they left the room. Edward was laughing. When I raised my eyebrow at him, he shook his head. I shrugged and went towards the fireplace, sitting down in front of it. There was already a fire set up, and I mentally thanked the heat. Edward sat beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I looked up at Edward, and almost gasped at how beautiful he looked with the light from the fire making his skin glow. He looked at me with question but I just shook my head and turned my gaze back to the fireplace. Watching the orange and yellow flames dance.

*****

"Are you insane?" I yelled. "Have you seen the weather outside?"

Alice nodded. "Yes, I have."

"Then why the hell are you giving me an outfit for weather that includes, I don't know, no snow!" I raised my hands in the air for emphasis.

"We're not outside, are we?" I shook my head. "It's Christmas, Bella. Don't be so stubborn."

She looked me in the eyes through her lashes. I sighed and took the outfit in my hands. "Fine. Only because I love you, Alice."

Alice jumped up and down before hugging me. She then pushed me into the washroom and closed the door behind me. I took that as my cue to start changing. I unfolded the dress and still couldn't believe she wanted me to wear it. It was a ruched, high-neck halter and was accented with an alluring keyhole above the empire waist, which was sparkling with sequins and beads. I slipped it on and straightened it out, making sure there wasn't anything that wasn't supposed to be tucked in. The moment I opened the door I was immediately pulled by the arm and pushed into a chair.

Rosalie began straightening my hair while Alice did my makeup. Over the years, I learned not to argue while the two did my hair and makeup. Though I could have done it myself, it was just safer that way. The procedure of it all was this: Rosalie straightens one portion of my hair while Alice put eye shadow on my lids. Straighten. Eye shadow. Straighten. Eye shadow. My foot tapped on the ground as I waited for it to be over. I just wanted to celebrate already.

"Okay. You can open your eyes now, Bella," Rosalie said gently.

I fluttered my eyes open and came upon a mirror. Unsurprisingly, I looked good. I always looked good when Rosalie and Alice did me. My hair looked sleek and shiny as it fell below my shoulders. A shimmery silver pigment was patted on my eyelids, along with eyeliner and mascara. It was finished with a nice pink gloss with a gold shimmer on my lips. I smiled and hugged them.

"Thanks guys," I whispered. "Now we better get down there before Emmett eats the whole dinner without us." They nodded their heads in agreement and we all filed out of the room.

As we went down the stairs, I clutched onto the railing just in case the high heels Alice forced me to wear made me miss a step. Envy washed over me as I saw how graceful Alice and Rosalie were in their heels. Why I was cursed with the lack of coordination was beyond me. When I reached the bottom of the steps, the hand that was holding onto the railing was now held by another hand. I looked from my feet to see Edward bringing my hand to his lips, planting a soft kiss on it. I blushed crimson and laced my fingers with his.

Loud chatter and clinking glasses were made as Edward and I walked into the dining room. Everyone was already seated and the food was placed neatly on the table. I could practically see the hunger in Emmett's eyes, and it wasn't because of the food. His gaze was directly on Rosalie as she looked into his eyes lovingly. Gross, just what I needed. My best friend and my brother getting all lovey dovey in front of me. Out of all the holidays, they just had to choose Christmas. Couldn't they just save that for Valentines Day?

"Don't act like it's so gross watching your brother and Rosalie looking at each other like that. You and Edward do it, too. And he's _my_ brother," Alice whispered to me as I sat down beside her.

"We do not," I argued. She gave me a look. "Do we really?"

She nodded. "Big time. And you look at each other more lovingly than those two over there," She pointed at Rose and Emmett. "So that's saying something."

Before I could say anything else, someone clinking their glass interrupted me. My head turned to the other end of the table where Carlisle was holding up his glass. "Before we eat, I'd like to say a prayer." We all held each other's hand. "Lord, we are very thankful to have such a wonderful meal on such a wonderful day. We are happy to spend this Christmas with our families and our friends. We all hope for many more years with such joy and love . . ."

I was about to say amen when Carlisle suddenly said, "And finally, thank you fro bringing Edward and Bella together. It was about time. Amen."

"Amen," We all said in unison.

I felt my cheeks turn red as he said that, but Edward only held my hand tighter. I smiled as he kissed the top of my head. Suddenly, it seemed that no one else was with us. It was just Edward and I, holding hands under the table. And I like it that way, because it was times like those, when I didn't sense anyone else but him that I knew Edward and I were meant to be together.

Dinner went by in a flash. It wasn't just because Emmett devoured everything. It also had to do with the fact that the mood was so joyful. It was like everyone's worries and stresses were suddenly gone and the only thing that mattered was that we were all together. But, I do have to say that dinner was shorter because of Emmett's hunger, but he was my brother and I was used to it by now. However, throughout the dinner was distracted most of the time when Edward and I just looked at each other. And it was then that I realized that Alice was right – Edward and I had our moments like Rosalie and Emmett. Well, hell, I hated it when she was right. And that was often, because she was always right.

Speaking of Alice she was a whirlwind when it came to cleaning up after the dinner. All I had to do was put away the dishes because she literally did everything. In a short amount of time, too. I didn't really understand why she was in such a hurry until we all sat around the Christmas tree. Presents. Of course, how could I have not known? Alice placed everyone's presents in front of them and sat down with a satisfied smile on her face. We all began to open our presents.

When I finished opening my presents, I ended up having a heap load of them stacked in front of me. Renee and Charlie gave me a new digital camera, and it looked expensive. I felt guilty. Carlisle and Esme gave me a jewelry box, which also looked expensive. I received the new Black Eyed Peas CD from Rose and Emmett because they knew my obsession for BEP – at their concert, I was the one yelling, "you guys are my hero!" Yeah, I'm cool. I was absolutely not surprised When Jasper and Alice got me separate gifts. They were so different from each other, so I only expected for them to have different present ideas. Alice got me a Coach purse – surprise! – While Jasper gave me a stack of hard cover Jane Austen books. I was grateful because my shelf of Jane Austen books was getting ratty.

I finally noticed a small box on my lap. I lifted it and read the little card on the top:

_Merry Christmas, love._

_Edward._

I smiled at him and opened the box carefully, not wanting to rip the beautiful wrapping paper into shreds. I was confused when I saw a small blue cardboard box. I looked at him tentatively. Edward gestured for me to open it. I shrugged and lifted the top of the box. I tilted my head in question as I lifted a pair of car keys.

"May I ask why there are keys to and Audi in the box?" I asked Edward.

"That," Edward pointed. "Is my present to you."

I felt my eyes go wide. "You got me a car? Edward, that's too much. I can't accept it."

"You can and you will. Bella, I love you and I want you to be safe while driving on the roads. And it doesn't look like your truck would do that."

I saw the sincerity in his eyes and I couldn't say no. "Thank you, I really do love it. I just have one question."

"Ask away."

"Out of all the cars you could have chosen, you got me and expensive Audi?"

"Only the best for you," He whispered in my ear. Sending shivers down my spine.

"It's officially the a.m. guys. Merry Christmas!" Emmett boomed. We all laughed and wished each other Merry Christmas before calling it a night.

*****

The first thing I did when I woke up was look outside the window. My reaction was a groan, followed with a slight smile. On the bright side, it stopped snowing and the sun was now out. The bad news was the snow was so god damn high. Snow was just bad news in the general sense. A tired sigh came from the room and I turned. Edward was still asleep, his face buried into one of the fluffy pillows. It took all of my will to not run my hand through his tousled hair. Instead I grabbed a towel from the cabinet and headed for the shower.

The warmth of the water as it hit my skin was marvelous. But I had absolutely no doubt that I was going to be freezing cold once I stepped out of the shower. As much as I wanted to stay under the hot water, I knew that I had to get out eventually. Reasons being that I didn't want to use up the hot water and end up a shriveled prune. I took the towel and wrapped it around my body. Once I opened the bathroom door the colder air hit me and sent a wave of shivers. I quickly made it back to the room and took out whatever clothes I saw first from the closet – jeans and a hoodie. I slipped it on and pulled the sleeves over my hands.

Edward was still sound asleep, so I left the room and closed the door quietly. As I went down the stairs I smelled pancakes. I licked my lips and rushed to the kitchen. I was surprised to see everyone there; aside from our parents who I knew had to run some errands for whatever reason I didn't know. I didn't realize that it was almost noon until I glanced at the clock, and obviously Edward and I were the last ones to wake up. Well, Edward was going to be the last one to wake up.

"Hey, where's Edward?" Jasper asked I got my plate of pancakes.

I poured the syrup on my pancakes and placed a napkin on my lap. "Still sleeping. Honestly, he's a goner. I've never seen him sleep so heavily in my life."

"I heard that," A familiar voice said. Edward sat in his seat and kissed me chastely before grabbing some pancakes. "What's on the agenda today?"

"I was thinking that we could go to Princess Island Park. Remember the last time we went there?" Alice suggested. Rose and Jasper looked so lost, since this was there first time in Calgary.

"Sure," Emmett said with a full mouth. "I just want to get out of the house and walk in the snow."

Ew, _snow_.

Once we all finished eating, we got ready for the weather. The boys were being brave and only putting on a jacket, toque and gloves. Us girls put on those, too, but also wrapped a scarf around our necks along with pulling on some boots. The weather was minus thirty plus the wind chill. So it was freaking freezing out there. Emmett opened the door and a burst of cold air immediately told me that I would be coming back frozen toes. As we walked to Princess Island Park, I noticed that not many people were outside. Probably because it was Christmas and it was cold.

When we finally made it to the park, the whole scenery of it all immediately engrossed me. With snow lightly dusting the branches of the trees and sparkling from the light. I sat on the bench and just looked at the frozen Bow River. It was like being fourteen all over again. Good times, those were. Someone's hot breath tingled on my neck as I shivered. Edward was looking at me, sighing when he turned his gaze away.

I watched him in scrutiny. He still wasn't looking at me, but was gazing at the clear blue sky. "What's wrong?" I inquired.

Edward shook his head. "Nothing."

"You can tell me anything, Edward," I assured.

He bit his bottom lip before answering. "I was just thinking how lucky I am to be with such a beautiful girl like you," He said shyly, a light pink blush on his cheeks. I laughed quietly. "What's so funny?"

"I was just remembering," I kicked the snow under my feet lightly. "When we fourteen, you and I sat on this very bench. The sun was shining down and I was wondering how my best friend could be so good-looking while I wasn't. I guess it's kind of the irony of it all."

Edward suddenly attacked my lips. I gasped from surprise, but immediately kissed him back. I cupped his chin while he placed his hand on my waist. The kiss was sweet, innocent. A smile formed on my lips, but immediately turned into a frown when his lips left mine. Edward saw my expression and chuckled. He kissed me quickly but leaned his forehead on mine. "Don't you ever think you're not beautiful, Bella. In fact, beautiful is an insult. Perfect would be a better word."

I was about to argue about that when a sudden force hit me in the back of the head. It was cold and it was hard. I turned around slowly, my eyes narrowing at the only person I knew would start a snowball fight. My eyes were faced with the same color of chocolate brown eyes. "Are we seriously going to start this again, Emmett?" I asked. "Didn't you learn the last time? Girls win. We _always_ win." I smirked.

That did it. Emmett scoffed and got a lump of snow in his hand. "Girls against boys. Snowball fight. Right now."

"Bring. It," I challenged.

As soon as Emmett began to throw the snowball, I made a break for it. I glanced back to see Edward starting to form snowballs. I ran towards the trees and heard the snow making contact with the bark. Someone tugged onto the sleeve of my jacket and brought me down in the snow. I wiped the snow from my face and was relieved to find out the Alice and Rosalie was with me.

"What the –" I was cut off.

"Shh!" They silenced me. I shut up.

Alice leaned up against the tree. "We need to make a plan,"

"That's easy," Rosalie said. "Just distract them."

"And how do we do that?" I asked.

Rosalie smirked and got up from the snow. "Just watch." She began to walk towards Emmett who now saw her. He was prepared to put her down when she turned around and bent down. Emmett dropped the snowball and stared at her ass – which was disgusting, seeing brother in such a weird trance – while Alice and me prepared snowballs. I threw one directly at him and it surprisingly hit him in the face. He was shocked, to say the least.

"Oh, come on!" He boomed. We three laughed and then ran further into the trees.

**Edward's POV**

"Oh, come on!" I heard Emmett yell. I groaned, we already had one man down.

Jasper and I decided to formulate a plan. We had no idea where the hell Emmett was, and even if we did it wouldn't matter. The fact that he was the one who called out on the snowball fight, and had the confidence of us guys winning was retarded. And he was the first one out. Not saying it wasn't funny, because holy shit, Jazz and I couldn't stop laughing. But in the end, we had to focus and bring those girls down. Even if one of them had luscious brown hair that flowed to the middle of her back . . .

"Concentrate, man!" Jasper said, interrupting my thoughts.

I shook my head. "Sorry. What's the plan again?"

"We're just going to wing it."

"Are you serious?" I asked dubiously. "The chances of us winning with that plan are zero to none!"

"But for right now, that's all we have. Just remember one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Do not get distracted. That's what they're going to use," Jasper replied sternly. I nodded my head at him.

We were about to break when we heard footsteps. I whipped around and looked for any sign of the girls. Jasper did the same. It was then that I heard a high-pitched screech. I knew that voice too well. "Alice?" We both said at the same time.

Alice came from the other side of the tree with a sad look in her eyes. She was limping towards us. I was about to go aid her when I saw her hiding her hand behind her back. I nudged Jasper to tell him that it was a trick, but he wasn't paying attention. He was watching Alice in concern and went to her to help. It was too late. I ran and hid behind a tree and watched.

"Alice!" Jasper yelled. "Where does it hurt Al?"

"Right . . ." She smashed the snowball in his face and giggled. "Here."

"Fuck," He mumbled. Alice kissed him on the cheek and ran away laughing.

God damn it. Two down.

**Bella's POV**

Edward wasn't one to be easily distracted. So I had no idea how to approach him and bring him down. Alice had already gotten Jasper, I watched as she snowballed him. I also saw Edward not fall for her trick, which is what I expected. Damn, why was I in love with such a smarty-pants?

My back was leaned up against a tree. I didn't dare move until I figured out a plan. And so far, no plan came to my mind. Which really sucked. Really. Deciding to just go out and wing it, I left the tree and began to walk around. My hands were folded in front of me and I was already preparing myself for being caught. Either way, we would win. If I were hit there would be Rose and Alice. And that's two against one. It was a pretty good plan, but that was just the backup plan. I needed a better one. I was a smart girl and I couldn't think of anything.

I stopped in the middle of the trees, scoping if there was any sign of anyone. Relieved that I didn't see anything, I began to walk. But I froze when warm air trickled down my neck. I mentally cursed myself when I figured who it was. Taking a deep breath, I turned around and wasn't surprised to see Edward with a smirk on his face. I glanced down at his right hand and saw the big lump of snow. Edward was about to throw the snow when I thought of something in the last minute.

_Just distract them._

I brought my hands to his face and crashed my lips to his. He was stunned and didn't respond for a while. But he eventually kissed me back, sucking on my bottom lip lightly. As our tongues were battling for dominance, I held onto his right hand and took the snow. He didn't notice so I kept on kissing him. I wrapped my arm around his neck and smacked the snow in the back. He gasped from the chilly temperature and tore his lips from mine. I was now the one with the smirk on my face.

*****

**New Year's Eve**

I stared in awe as the living room was decorated from wall to wall. There were twinkling lights hanging on the ceiling and balloons and streamers everywhere. On the far end of the room there was a table with champagne and wine glasses with intricate designs carved into the glass. The Christmas tree lights were on as well and it gave the room such a warm glow. All in all, it was such simple decorating that I was surprised Alice was the one who did it. She refused to have anyone help her but promised not to go too overboard. I was impressed.

Everyone started to file in the room now, each one with a bright smile on their face. Emmett was beginning to pour some red wine into the glasses, waiting for the clock to strike midnight to open the champagne bottle. I took a glass off the table and sipped on the wine. It was sweet and the alcohol wasn't too strong. Just the way I liked it. We were all joking around and going over the good times throughout the year. There was too many of them, and I could hardly keep track.

Edward held onto my hand the entire time. It came to the point where I wondered if he glued his hand to mine. Not that I minded or anything, he could glue his hand to mine any day.

"Okay, New Year Resolution time!" Renee cheered. She loved to set goals.

"I have one!" Alice clapped her hands. "In the new year I plan to design enough clothes to start my own line."

I put my hand on her shoulder. "That sounds wonderful, Al," I assured her. She hugged me tightly.

"I want to redecorate the kitchen," Esme smiled. Carlisle chuckled and gave her shoulders a squeeze, me thinking that was probably a "go ahead," signal.

There was suddenly a squeal. I thought it was Alice that made the sound, but it was actually Rose. She was pointing at the TV, where the countdown was already at ten seconds. Edward was watching the screen when I nudged him. He turned his gaze to me.

"You know what I loved best about this year?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No."

"The thing I loved about this year," I squared my shoulders to him. "Was the fact that I finally confessed my love for you. And amazingly enough, you felt the same way."

Edward smiled. "That's what I love about this year too," he agreed.

"Three . . ."

Edward leaned down his eyes closing the closer he got to me.

"Two . . ."

I felt his sweet breath on my skin, sending shivers down my spine. I smiled, my eyes closed and leaned in towards him.

"One . . ."

I felt Edward's lips on mine. So soft and full. My hands found there way up to tangle in his hair as he put his hand on the small of my back, pulling me closer to him. I never wanted our kiss to end and it seemed like he didn't either. It was only he and I.

"Happy New Year!"

**Third Person **

Renee and Esme laughed as they watched their children making out in the center of the room. It was what they had been waiting for since they met. Granted, it took a little longer than both of them wanted or expected, but either way they were ecstatic. Renee took a long sip of her champagne as did Esme. Trying to drown their happiness in champagne was not what they wanted, but they couldn't help it.

"I always knew they would fall in love one day," Renee swooned.

Esme scoffed. "They always loved each other, it just took a little longer for them to actually _realize_ it."

Renee nodded her head in agreement. "A beautiful thing, love is."

"That, it is."

Esme and Renee clinked their wine glasses and giggled before taking a sip of the fine bubbly drink. And watched as Edward and Bella looked to each other's eyes. It seemed like it was just yesterday the two were fighting over how forgettable Edward was. But that moment, was far from forgettable.

* * *

**Oh man, I am super sorry for the very late update. It's been a month! The beginning of this chapter was kind of hard to write. Why? I have no idea. It was much easier to write starting from the snowball fight. I wrote from there to the end of the chapter all yesterday. I began editing today but had to take a break because i went to the Calgary Stampede with my friends. The Crazy Mouse ride is the shit ; P lol. But yes!! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon, I kind of don't want to write it. Why? This is why:**

**_THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE LAST CHAPTER FOR THIS STORY. THAT'S RIGHT, THE NEXT ALERT YOU'LL BE GETTING IS THE EPILOGUE. I DON'T WANT THIS TO END, SO I'M KIND OF STALLING . . . BUT I'LL GET IT OUT. DON'T YOU WORRY!!!!!_**

**And _please_ check out my new All Human stories: _Believe Me _and_ Escape Meadow_. It would mean so much to me if you guys did that. Here are the summaries:**

**Believe Me:**

_**Bella saw her first ghost at 6. Now at the age of 20, she doesn't get scared when she sees Them. One day when she enters her apartment, she sees a woman sitting on her couch. Who is this woman and why does she want Bella to help her son? All Human BxE.**_

**Escape Meadow:**

_**All Human. Between a dad who neglects her, a mother who walked out of the family completely and a golden sister, Bella's life couldn't be any harder. Her parents divorce is eating at her and she can't talk to anyone. When two new people move to Darcy Lake, will Bella finally be able to open up? - - - "I just don't get it!" I yelled. "Get what?" "Get how you could love someone like me. I'm broken, a mess. How could you love me?" "I love you, because you aren't perfect," Edward whispered. ExB romance.**_

**Alright, enough of this . . . please review! Review as much as you can guys, because this is the second last chapter, and it would me a lot : )**


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue: Love You Forever

Jesus. I was twenty-four years old and Alice still insisted that she dress me up for my dates with Edward. Except this time, she brought along Rosalie as her sidekick. So obviously I couldn't say no to the both of them. I understood that today was mine and Edward's anniversary, but I could get ready on my own, thank your very much. I licked my lips impatiently as Rosalie made loose curls in my hair and Alice did my makeup. They then gave me a flowy red dress and flip-flops. Flip-flops! It was so surprising, but wonderful at the same time. I didn't know where Edward was taking me, but Alice and Rose did.

"Okay, Bells," Alice touched up my makeup. "You're done. You can now look in the mirror."

Rosalie began to pull the mirror out, but I stopped her. "No need. I already know I look great. Thanks so much guys." I hugged them both and started to walk out the door.

Just then, Emmett and Jasper came through the door. Emmett had the goofiest grin on his face. "What's wrong with your face, Em?" I asked

He scoffed. "There's nothing wrong with my face!"

Jasper laughed. "Sure, Emmett. Sure." I rolled my eyes at them and started to head for the door.

"Bella, wait!" Rosalie called. I turned around to see her holding out a camera. "Let me take a picture of you."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Just because." I sighed and smiled while Rosalie pressed the button. After it flashed and she checked how the picture turned out, she said, "Great! Go and have fun, Bella." I waved at them and headed for the door. And just in time, there was a knock on the door.

I opened it excitedly and smiled when I saw Edward clad in a green button-up shirt and dark jeans. I also took notice of his flip-flops. "Happy anniversary," I said and kissed him.

"Mmm. Happy anniversary to you, too. Ready to go?"

"Of course."

*****

Edward blindfolded me once I got in the car. He didn't want me to guess where we were going because it would wreck the surprise. Even though I couldn't see anything, I still knew he was driving fast. I could feel it. In fact, I didn't know we stopped until I heard Edward step out of the car and open the door for me.

"Can I take the blindfold off now?" I asked.

"Not yet. But soon," He replied.

Edward took my hand and guided me as I got out of the car. We started to walk and I felt sand under my feet. I got the gist that we were on a beach, but why were we celebrating our anniversary on a beach? Were we going to make sand castles like we did when we were six? That would be weird, but I would still love it all the same.

"Almost there," He whispered in my ear. I nodded my head and bit my lip anxiously. We then came to a stop. "Alright, take off the blindfold, Bells."

I untied the knot behind my head and slipped the fabric out of my eyes. I gasped at what I saw. On the sand there was a blanket with a picnic basket and candles. There were even flowers surrounding the blanket. It was so simple, but yet so beautiful.

"Do you like it?" He asked nervously.

"I love it. This is so wonderful, Edward."

"Good."

He guided me to the blanket and sat me down. He took out food from the basket and I watched how much food there was. Literally, there was so much! I doubted we could finish it all. But then again, Emmett wouldn't mind eating the leftovers.

"Do you remember when I first gave you that necklace?" Edward asked, nodding toward the green jewel hanging from my neck.

"Yes," I smiled.

"And you still wear it. That means a lot to me, Bella. _You_ mean a lot to me," He said sincerely.

A pink blush rose to my cheeks. "How can I respond to something like that?"

"You can say that you love me."

"You already know I do."

"I know," He chuckled. "But I like hearing it."

I rolled my eyes. "I love you, Edward."

"I love you, too, Bella. And I always will." Edward reached for something in the picnic basket. His hand came back up with a small black velvet box. When he opened it, a silver ring with a sparkling diamond and little diamonds around the band sat on the cushion. "Bella, I've known you for most of my life, and I can't imagine living without you. Will you marry me?"

Tears started to fill my eyes and I nodded my head. "Yes. Of course I'll marry you!" With that, Edward kissed me.

Engaged. I was officially engaged with Edward. Not only was I going to marry the love of my life, but he was also my best friend. And there wasn't anyone else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with than him. Best friends forever.

Forever.

**The End**

* * *

**I'm so sad this is over. I've been writing this story since around december/january. So it's been half a year. A good half year, of course. I know this epilogue is short, but that's just the way it was meant to be. A short ending. But hopefully you're happy!**

**I just want to thank everyone who reviewed and messaged me saying how much they love the story. That means so much to me. I love you guys forever && ever.**

**And no, sorry, there won't be a sequel. This is the end of the road for BFF's Eddie and Bells. But don't worry, they're getting married! It won't be written, but yeah!**

**Go See These:**

**- If you want to hear the playlist for this story, go to my profile and you'll find the link to Imeem there.**

**- Checkout my LiveJournal. Go to my profile and it's the Homepage thingy you have to click to get there : )**

**- The trailer for this fic is on my profile as well.**

**For the last time for this story, review!**

**Karina 3**


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